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

What counts as a work search in Hawaii

• Applying for a job that fits your skills and schedule, online or in person (HireNet Hawaii, LinkedIn, Indeed and similar sites)
• Contacting an employer in person or by phone about work
• Interviewing for a job
• Going to a job fair, hiring event, or networking event
• Taking part in a RESEA workshop or other reemployment services at a workforce center
• Uploading your resume to HireNet Hawaii
• Reporting to your union hiring hall, if you are a registered member

What doesn’t count

• Applying for a job you are not qualified for
• Applying in a way the employer did not ask for (for example, not following online application instructions)

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

How to report your job contacts

Log in to huiclaims.hawaii.gov, go to Daily Tasks, then Record Work Search Activity, and add each activity. You can add them any time during the week. Your saved log transfers to your claim certification. You can also use paper form UC-253 to keep track, but it does not replace the online log.

When: File a biweekly claim on huiclaims.hawaii.gov. You answer the questions for each week separately. The earliest day to file for a week is the Sunday after it ends.

Where: HUI claims portal.

When the search starts: From your first week, including the unpaid waiting week. You must meet all eligibility rules for the waiting week too.

Keep a work search log

Keep a record of all your work search activities, plus screenshots or email confirmations if you can. DLIR does not say for how long. DLIR’s form is the Record of Work Search Activities (UC-253). It asks for: date of contact, employer name, address and phone, website name / email, activity type (telephone, online, job fair/event, resea, hirenet resume upload), job posting number, contact method (in person, telephone, email, mail, other), position applied for, result (application/resume submitted, follow-up scheduled, interviewed, hired, employer not hiring).

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

Who doesn’t have to search

• 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)

Union members: If your union has a job placement service, your union must send form UC-226 within 7 days of your claim. If you are on the union's out-of-work list and in good standing, you may meet the rule through your union.

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

Reviews, audits and RESEA

DLIR checks job search activities. Your record can be checked at any time, and you may be asked for it during an eligibility review interview.

RESEA: DLIR and the Workforce Development Division run RESEA. If you are scheduled, you must take part. A RESEA workshop also counts as a work search activity.

What to expect: unemployment work search audits.

If you miss your number

If you don't make 3 contacts in a week, you can be found not available for work and not paid for that week. Saying you looked for work when you did not is fraud, which can mean paying money back, penalties, and loss of future benefits.

Sign up with the job bank

If you live in Hawaii, you are signed up with HireNet Hawaii automatically when you file. If you live in another state, you must register with the job service there. HireNet Hawaii.

Questions people in Hawaii ask

How many job searches are required for unemployment in Hawaii?

You must do at least 3 work search activities each week you claim benefits. Log each one in the Record Work Search Activity log in your huiclaims.hawaii.gov account. The log carries over to your claim certification.

What counts as a work search in Hawaii?

Applying for a job that fits your skills and schedule, online or in person (HireNet Hawaii, LinkedIn, Indeed and similar sites); Contacting an employer in person or by phone about work; Interviewing for a job; Going to a job fair, hiring event, or networking event, and 3 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 Hawaii?

Log in to huiclaims.hawaii.gov, go to Daily Tasks, then Record Work Search Activity, and add each activity. You can add them any time during the week. Your saved log transfers to your claim certification. You can also use paper form UC-253 to keep track, but it does not replace the online log. Keep a record of all your work search activities, plus screenshots or email confirmations if you can. DLIR does not say for how long.

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

If you don't make 3 contacts in a week, you can be found not available for work and not paid for that week. Saying you looked for work when you did not is fraud, which can mean paying money back, penalties, and loss of future benefits.

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

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). Your notice will say if this applies to you.

Does Hawaii check or audit work search records?

DLIR checks job search activities. Your record can be checked at any time, and you may be asked for it during an eligibility review interview.

Checked against DLIR’s own pages and rules on November 6, 2026. We could not confirm how long to keep your records, how RESEA works, who doesn’t have to search, the job bank link on an official page, so check your notice for those.

Sources

• DLIR UI Claimant Handbook Rev 1.26 (January 2026)
• UC-253 Record of Work Search Activities (07/24)
• DLIR: Job Search Requirements to be Reinstated for Maui County (Feb 21, 2024)
• HAR 12-5-35 (heading only seen) not official
• US DOL Comparison of State UI Laws 2023, Ch. 5, Tables 5-14 (work search requirements) and 5-15 (reporting and monitoring)

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.