Who doesn’t have to look for work on unemployment?

• You are on a temporary or seasonal layoff from your regular employer that is not expected to last more than 8 weeks
• You are in training approved by the department
• You are a union member in good standing who gets work only through a union hiring hall and you are registered with the hall
• You are on jury duty
• The department told you that you do not need to search for work

Alabama work search rules

• You are temporarily laid off and have a set date to go back to full-time work within 45 days after you filed (registration can be deferred)
• You are unemployed because of a labor dispute
• You normally get work through a union and the union confirms you are a member who can be dispatched
• You have an approved waiver, such as for approved training
• You were told your work search is deferred

Alaska work search rules

• You are on a shared work (work sharing) plan
• You earned more than your weekly benefit amount that week, so you get no benefits for it

Arizona work search rules

• Your employer cut you to part-time and promised you full-time work again within 10 weeks
• Your employer cut your hours and you still work at least 8 hours for that employer in the week
• You have a written promise of a job that starts within 10 weeks, and you give the state the employer's statement
• You are a union member whose hiring hall makes contacts for you (you still must show proof of the contacts)

Arkansas work search rules

• You are in state-approved training, like California Training Benefits
• You are in an employer's Work Sharing program
• You have a job offer for work that starts soon
• You are on a temporary layoff and will go back to work within 30 days
• You have a specialized skill with few job openings in your area
• A trade dispute has greatly cut job openings in your area
• Your industry had a seasonal shutdown and there is little chance of other work

California work search rules

• You are job attached: you expect to go back to your most recent employer within 16 weeks (your search may be waived)
• You are union attached: your union must find you work within 16 weeks (your search may be waived)
• Federal workers furloughed during a government shutdown count as job attached

Colorado work search rules

• You will go back to work with your last employer within 13 weeks of filing your claim
• You have a new job that starts within 13 weeks
• You are a trade union member who must find work through a union hiring hall
• You are in a shared work program approved by CTDOL
• You are on jury duty
• You are in training or education approved by CTDOL

Connecticut work search rules

• The Division tells you that you are not required to register or search for work (the handbook calls these exemptions rare)

Delaware work search rules

• You are a union member in good standing and your union actively looks for work for you (DOES checks this)
• You are a furloughed federal government employee (from January 31, 2026)

District of Columbia work search rules

• You are on a temporary layoff and will go back to your old employer within 8 weeks
• You have a new job that starts within the next 6 weeks
• You are a union member who normally gets work through a union hiring hall (you report to the hall instead)
• You are in training approved by FloridaCommerce
• You are on an approved Short-Time Compensation plan
• FloridaCommerce has waived work search for your county after a disaster (for example, after a hurricane)

Florida work search rules

• Your employer filed a partial claim for you
• You are on a short layoff with a set date to go back to your employer within 6 weeks of your last day
• You are in the Claimant Trainee program or other training approved by GDOL
• You are a union member who gets all job referrals through a union hiring hall
• You are part of a strike or labor dispute
• GDOL told you in writing that you are exempt

Georgia work search rules

• You are still attached to your regular employer, there is not enough work, and your employer has confirmed your partial unemployment
• You are a union member whose union places you in jobs, and the union has sent form UC-226 within 7 days of your claim
• DLIR has waived the rule for a disaster (for example, the 2023 Maui wildfires waiver, which ended February 11, 2024)

Hawaii work search rules

• Idaho Labor has placed you in Employer (Job) Attached status, such as a seasonal layoff with a definite return-to-work date within 16 weeks
• You are an active member of a union that regularly refers you to full-time work and you are in Union Attached status

Idaho work search rules

• IDES tells you that you don't have to search (the rule says 'unless otherwise instructed')
• You belong to a union whose placement service IDES has certified, and you report to it at least monthly (this counts as your work search)
• You are in training approved by IDES

Illinois work search rules

• You are in training approved by DWD
• You are job-attached with a specific recall date no more than 60 days from when you were separated
• You are a member in good standing of a DWD-authorized union hiring hall
• You use a DWD-approved hiring, referral or job placement service (excused for up to 60 days)

Indiana work search rules

• IWD waives your work search because you are on a temporary layoff and expect to be recalled within about 4 weeks (check your notice)
• You are in Department Approved Training (DAT)
• You are on a short-term layoff from highway construction, repair or maintenance work
• You are a union member whose union has its own placement office (you must keep paid-up membership and check with the union weekly)

Iowa work search rules

• You are in approved training, including Trade Act training
• The governor has declared a disaster emergency and the work search rule is waived
• You are on temporary unemployment as Kansas law defines it, a placement union member in good standing, in the Shared Work program, or in RESEA (these groups are left out of the My Reemployment Plan program; check your notice for work search)

Kansas work search rules

• You are a member of a trade union that finds work for you
• You are a student in an approved training program and have a determination saying so
• You have a definite recall date (within 1 year of filing per the July 2026 claimant guide; the web page says within 16 weeks)
• You are on a temporary leave of absence and still an employee
• Your employer filed a mass electronic claim (E-Claim) or a Work Share claim for you
• You must upload proof of your exemption when you file, or you will have to search

Kentucky work search rules

• You are on a temporary layoff with a definite date to go back to work
• You are a union member who gets work through your union
• You are in approved training
• Louisiana Works will tell you if one of these applies to you

Louisiana work search rules

• You are on a temporary layoff with a definite date to go back to your employer. A waiver can cover up to 6 weeks, once per benefit year (the last 6 weeks before you return).
• You are starting a new full-time job within 2 weeks (or within 4 weeks if you can show written proof)
• You are in training approved by MDOL
• You are in a union and use your union hiring hall to find work
• You are taking part in required reemployment services that MDOL scheduled for you that week

Maine work search rules

• You are on a temporary layoff of 10 weeks or less with a definite return-to-work date
• You are on a temporary layoff of 11 to 26 weeks with a definite return date, if your employer and you jointly ask and the Labor Secretary approves
• You are a union member in good standing who can only get work through your union hiring hall
• You are in training approved by the Division of Unemployment Insurance, or WIOA training approved by the Maryland Department of Labor
• Your employer is in an approved Work Sharing plan
• Days you are called for jury duty or serve as an election judge

Maryland work search rules

• You are in a training program approved by DUA (the FAQ says this is the only time you do not report work search)
• Older DUA guidance also lists: a definite recall or new job start within 4 weeks, and union members who can only get work through the union. Check your notice.

Massachusetts work search rules

• Your employer got a waiver for a temporary layoff and you are expected back full time within 45 days of filing
• You are laid off and expect to return to work within 15 days of your layoff date (short-term waiver; ask when you file)
• You are in an approved course of study and got a training waiver through Michigan Works!
• If you have a return-to-work date within 120 days or must get work only through a union hiring hall, the Job Attached Waiver only skips work registration. You still have to search and report.

Michigan work search rules

• You are in full-time training approved by DEED (it takes the place of the work search)
• You are in a union hiring hall that does not let you look for work on your own, and you stay in good standing and on the referral list
• No full exemption for a temporary layoff: DEED says you may look for temporary work until you are called back
• No exemption for seasonal work: in the off season you must look for other kinds of work

Minnesota work search rules

• You are job attached (MDES decides this, for example a set return-to-work date)
• You are on jury duty
• You are in approved training
• You are in an approved Self-Employment Assistance program
• You are a union member in good standing who uses your union's hiring hall
• Other special situations MDES approves

Mississippi work search rules

• You are in approved training
• You have a definite recall date from your employer (state law: within 8 weeks of your first day out of work; the employer can ask to extend this up to 16 weeks)
• Your employer is in a Shared Work program

Missouri work search rules

• You are in training approved by the Department of Labor & Industry (your decision letter will explain your rules). If training ends or you have more than 30 days between sessions, you must search again.
• You are job attached: you have a return-to-work or start date at 30 or more hours a week, and UI has verified it
• You are union attached: your dues are current, you get work through a union hiring hall, and you are on the out-of-work list, and UI has verified it

Montana work search rules

• You are on a temporary layoff and your employer confirmed you will return to work within 16 weeks (112 days) of the layoff
• You are a member in good standing of a union hiring hall
• You are in a Trade (TAA) program or NDOL Approved Training
• You are attached to certain industries (NDOL decides this)

Nebraska work search rules

• Union members who get work through a union hiring hall do not register at an EmployNV office, but must look for work the way the union requires
• People DETR has told are exempt (check your notice)

Nevada work search rules

• You have a definite date to go back to work within 11 weeks of your last day of work, and you prove it to NHES (state law RSA 282-A:31)
• NHES selected you and enrolled you in a vocational training program
• NHES has told you in writing that you are exempt. Until you get that notice, act as if you must search.

New Hampshire work search rules

• You have a work search waiver because you are in training approved by a One-Stop Career Center counselor
• You get jobs through a union hiring hall (work search waiver)
• You are temporarily laid off with a definite rehire date within 8 weeks of the day you were separated (work search waiver)

New Jersey work search rules

• Union members with a hiring hall, if you have proof of union status, follow your union's rules, are in good standing and are on the out-of-work list
• Anyone NMDWS has exempted from work search (check your notice)

New Mexico work search rules

• You are temporarily laid off or seasonally employed and have a written, definite return-to-work date 8 weeks or less away
• You are a union member who must get work through a union hiring hall (follow your union's rules)
• You are in a training program approved by NYSDOL, such as under Labor Law section 599
• You are serving on a jury
• You are in an approved Shared Work Program
• You are in an approved Self Employment Assistance Program
• Any other exemption required by state or federal law. NYSDOL will tell you if you are exempt.

New York work search rules

• Your employer filed an attached claim for you while you are partly unemployed, and DES finds you available for work with that employer
• You are in a training program DES approved
• You are out of work directly because of a disaster covered by a federal disaster declaration, unless DES tells you to search

North Carolina work search rules

• You are returning to the employer that laid you off
• You are a paid-up union member on the out-of-work list
• You have a job offer that starts within 4 weeks and send Job Service the offer letter or email, and Job Service tells you that you can stop (keep making contacts until they say so)

North Dakota work search rules

• Your employer told ODJFS your layoff is temporary and you will go back within 45 days
• Your employer's plant shutdown has a set return date within 26 weeks and ODJFS approved a waiver
• You are in agency-approved training (waived)
• You are in approved school and going to all classes (counts as met)
• You are a member in good standing of a union hiring hall that refers members to jobs (counts as met)

Ohio work search rules

• You are on a temporary layoff with a set return-to-work date within 8 weeks of your last day of work
• You are a member of a certified labor or trade union with a business agent or hiring hall (you contact the hiring hall each week)
• You are in approved training, such as Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) or WIOA training

Oklahoma work search rules

• You are temporarily laid off and will be back at full-time work (or work paying at least your weekly benefit amount) within 4 weeks; you must keep in contact with your employer
• You are a closed-union member in good standing; you must stay in contact with your union and be available for dispatch
• You are approved for Training Unemployment Insurance (TUI) and attending school full time
• You are in another special program OED approved (you will not see the work search screen)

Oregon work search rules

• You get work through a union hiring hall and are in good standing
• You are in the Shared-Work program
• You are in department-approved training or Trade Adjustment Assistance training
• You are required to attend RESEA at a PA CareerLink office (that week)
• You are laid off for lack of work and have a written recall date from your employer (ends if the date is canceled or passes)
• You are in a department-approved work search program
• L&I approved a waiver for you (Form UC-318)

Pennsylvania work search rules

• You are in department-approved job training or adult education
• You are a union member in good standing and get work through a hiring hall
• You are on WorkShare
• You are serving on jury duty
• You are being recalled, or were hired for a new full-time job, with a start date within 10 business days
• You are job attached and set to return to work within 12 weeks of your last day of work (after 12 weeks, you must search)

Rhode Island work search rules

• You are in a UI-approved training program, such as WIOA
• Your employer is filing your claim for you (employer-filed claim); work search starts if you begin filing your own claim

South Carolina work search rules

• You will be recalled to full-time work by an employer within 10 straight weeks, and the employer gave a recall date
• You have a definite recall date with an employer that paid at least half your base-period wages, and weather-related seasonal work is not available
• You are a member in good standing of a referring union with a hiring hall (you must be on the out-of-work list)
• You are in department-approved training

South Dakota work search rules

• You have a definite return-to-work date and will go back to your employer soon
• You get work only through a union hiring hall
• You are in agency-approved training

Tennessee work search rules

• You are on a temporary layoff with a definite return-to-work date within 8 weeks (8 to 12 weeks if your employer asks in writing; longer only if TWC grants a waiver)
• You are a union member in good standing with a hiring hall and you stay in touch with it
• You are in TWC-approved training or Trade Act training
• You are in a Shared Work plan
• You are on jury duty for 3 or more days, for those weeks
• You are a federal employee on furlough or in a shutdown and will go back to that job (added August 2026)
• You live in a declared disaster area and TWC and the U.S. Department of Labor approve a waiver (added August 2026)

Texas work search rules

• A Workforce Services representative tells you that you don't have to look for work (check your notices)

Utah work search rules

• Your employer gives you a definite (not weather-dependent) return date to full-time work within 10 weeks of opening your claim and confirms it to VDOL in writing
• VDOL has otherwise excused you from the work search (check your notices)

Vermont work search rules

• You are temporarily laid off with an expected return-to-work date that your employer confirms (you are 'attached' to your employer)
• You are a partial claimant (your employer cut your hours)
• You are a union member who must look for work only through the union hiring hall
• You live in an area with 15% or higher unemployment when the VEC waives the requirement

Virginia work search rules

• You are on standby, attached to your employer with a return-to-work date (ESD must approve it)
• You are in commissioner-approved training or Training Benefits
• You are in the SharedWork program
• You are in the Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP)
• You are an active registered electrical apprentice, or in the classroom part of a required apprenticeship
• You are part of a strike, lockout or labor dispute (ESD decides)
• You are partly unemployed (working reduced hours) and ESD waives it
• ESD confirms any waiver in writing

Washington work search rules

• You were called for jury duty
• You are in approved vocational training
• You are a member in good standing of a union hiring hall
• You are filing Low Earnings Reports (your employer cut your hours)
• You are getting Short-Time Compensation benefits

West Virginia work search rules

• You are laid off and expect to go back to your employer within 8 weeks (up to 12 weeks if your employer verifies it with DWD)
• You will start a new job within 4 weeks and the new employer has confirmed the start date with DWD
• You are laid off, normally get work through union referrals, and are on a DWD-approved union out-of-work list
• You were called for jury duty
• You are in department-approved training
• You worked 32 or more hours that week
• You worked that week for an employer you work for on more than a temporary basis (more than 4 weeks)

Wisconsin work search rules

• You are job-attached: your employer expects to recall you within 12 weeks, paid at least 50% of your base period wages, and confirms it to DWS
• You are a union member in good standing on your union hiring hall's out-of-work list (first 12 weeks of the claim)

Wyoming work search rules