myjobcontacts › States › Alaska

How many job searches do you need for unemployment in Alaska?

Different numbers for some people

• Live in Alaska within 55 road miles of a job center: 2 a week. The standard number.
• Live outside Alaska (another state, Canada, Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands): 2 a week. Same as the standard number.
• Live in rural Alaska more than 55 road miles from the nearest job center: 1 a week. Lower number for remote areas.

What counts as a work search in Alaska

• Contacting an employer or someone who can hire, by phone, email or in person
• Looking at an employer's job postings or website
• Going to a job center for a reemployment service or career workshop
• Going to a job interview
• A similar high-effort activity the division approves

What doesn’t count

• Contacting a private employment agency that charges you a fee
• Calling the UI Claim Center
• Contacting a job center office, unless that is how the employer asked to be contacted (per the work search log)

More on this in what counts as a work search contact.

How to report your job contacts

When you file your claim for each week, you report your work search activities. For each one you give the date, the employer's name, how you made contact, and the employer's phone, address, website or email. The state's work search log is for your own records. Do not turn it in.

When: Online, you file a claim each week at my.alaska.gov. If you cannot file online, you can file every two weeks by phone (VICTOR). You get your filing dates when you open your claim.

Where: myAlaska (Unemployment Insurance Benefits).

When the search starts: Starting with the week you file your claim, unless you are told otherwise. This includes the unpaid waiting week.

Keep a work search log

DOLWD’s form is the Work Search Log. It asks for: date of contact (mm/dd/yyyy), employer/business name, method of contact, phone/fax number or email address, or website address, or address.

The free myjobcontacts app keeps the same details and prints them in the same columns as DOLWD’s form. Prefer paper? Use the free printable work search log.

Who doesn’t have to search

• 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

Union members: If you normally get work through a trade union, your job service registration can be deferred, as long as the union gives the state your membership and dispatch information when asked.

See work search exemptions for how these work in other states.

Reviews, audits and RESEA

The work search activities you report may be audited. The department may contact the employer you listed to check. If you do not answer a Quality Control audit request, your benefits will be denied.

RESEA: If you are picked for a Reemployment Services program, you must complete everything it asks of you. The handbook does not give more detail.

What to expect: unemployment work search audits.

If you miss your number

If you do not report the required number of valid activities, your benefits for that week will be denied, and you may have to pay back money already paid. If you give false information, you may have to repay benefits plus a 50% penalty, and future benefits may be held back.

Sign up with the job bank

You must post your resume on AlaskaJobs within 7 days of filing a new or reopened claim, unless your registration is deferred. AlaskaJobs.

Questions people in Alaska ask

How many job searches are required for unemployment in Alaska?

Most people must do at least 2 work search activities each week. If you live in rural Alaska more than 55 road miles from the nearest job center, you need 1. Some people have a different number: Live in Alaska within 55 road miles of a job center (2); Live outside Alaska (another state, Canada, Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands) (2); Live in rural Alaska more than 55 road miles from the nearest job center (1).

What counts as a work search in Alaska?

Contacting an employer or someone who can hire, by phone, email or in person; Looking at an employer's job postings or website; Going to a job center for a reemployment service or career workshop; Going to a job interview, and 1 more on the list above. Check your notice for anything your state added for you.

Do I have to keep a work search log in Alaska?

When you file your claim for each week, you report your work search activities. For each one you give the date, the employer's name, how you made contact, and the employer's phone, address, website or email. The state's work search log is for your own records. Do not turn it in.

What happens if I don’t do enough job searches in Alaska?

If you do not report the required number of valid activities, your benefits for that week will be denied, and you may have to pay back money already paid. If you give false information, you may have to repay benefits plus a 50% penalty, and future benefits may be held back.

Who doesn’t have to look for work in Alaska?

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. Your notice will say if this applies to you.

Does Alaska check or audit work search records?

The work search activities you report may be audited. The department may contact the employer you listed to check. If you do not answer a Quality Control audit request, your benefits will be denied.

Checked against DOLWD’s own pages and rules on November 6, 2026. We could not confirm how long to keep your records, which day you request payment, who doesn’t have to search on an official page, so check your notice for those.

Work search rules in every state

myjobcontacts is not a government website and this is not legal advice. Rules change, and your own claim notice or letter is what counts. If something here doesn’t match what your state told you, follow your state.