FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 24, 2021
L&I to Restart Unemployment Benefit Work
Search Requirements in July
Harrisburg, PA – Today, Department of Labor &
Industry (L&I) Acting Secretary Jennifer Berrier
announced that work search requirements for individuals receiving unemployment
benefits will restart the week of July 11, with individuals to begin certifying
on July 18 that they have looked for work during the previous week.
“As more Pennsylvanians become vaccinated and our case count
continues to decline, workers can more safely return to the workforce,” said
Acting Secretary Berrier. “We have been working with
our stakeholder groups and have determined July is the ideal time to reinstate
the work search requirement. PA CareerLink® locations
across the state are ready to provide high quality, individualized assistance
to out-of-work Pennsylvanians as more displaced workers begin the work search
process.”
Beginning July 18, individuals receiving benefits through
any unemployment program in Pennsylvania (including Unemployment Compensation,
Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, and Pandemic Unemployment
Assistance) will need to certify each week that during the previous week they
fulfilled the work search requirement by applying for two jobs and participating
in one work search activity each week.
Eligible work search activities are:
Unemployment program benefit recipients are also required to
accept an offer of suitable work. Individuals are also required to keep a log
of their work search activities, which is subject to audit. A form to log work
search activities can be found on L&I’s website here.
More
information about work search, including answers to frequently
asked questions, can be found on L&I’s website.
MEDIA CONTACT: Sarah DeSantis, dlipress@pa.gov