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

Special cases

• Number set by the Division. State law says 3 unless the deputy directs otherwise. Check the Work Search Contacts link on your UInteract Claim Summary page for your number.

What counts as a work search in Missouri

• Searching for work on MoJobs (jobs.mo.gov)
• Going to a RESEA appointment, a Missouri Job Center workshop, or answering a Job Center job referral
• Filling out a paper or online job application
• Visiting employers about openings, or following up with them
• Going to a job interview (in person or virtual) or a job fair
• Creating a profile on job sites like LinkedIn or Indeed, or creating a resume or reemployment plan
• Part-time work during the week (each day you work counts as one activity)
• Online training during the week (each day counts as one activity)

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

How to report your job contacts

Log in to UInteract, choose Weekly Request for Payment, then Enter Work Search Details. Enter each activity and click Save after each one. You can add them during the week or when you file. Job Center appointments and work you report also show up as credit.

When: File your weekly request for payment as early as the Sunday after the week ends. You must file within 14 days of the Saturday that ends the week, or the week is denied.

Where: UInteract.

When the search starts: Each week you file a weekly request for payment, including the week you filed your claim.

Keep a work search log

DES doesn’t have its own log form that we could find. Write down the date, employer, how you contacted them, the job, who you talked to and what happened.

The free myjobcontacts app keeps the same details. Prefer paper? Use the free printable work search log.

Who doesn’t have to search

• 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

Union members: If you are a union member with a hiring or referral hall, contacting your hall 3 times during the week, or taking union-sponsored training, counts as your work search.

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

Reviews, audits and RESEA

The Division can check your work search activities. If you are called for a Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment, your job search is reviewed with Job Center staff.

RESEA: You may get a letter telling you to take part in a Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) at a Missouri Job Center. Not going can lead to denial of benefits. You can pre-register in MoJobs before the appointment, and the RESEA appointment counts as a work search activity.

What to expect: unemployment work search audits.

If you miss your number

If you do not complete 3 work search activities for a week, benefits for that week will be denied.

Sign up with the job bank

Visit jobs.mo.gov or a Missouri Job Center at least once a month while you claim. MoJobs.

Questions people in Missouri ask

How many job searches are required for unemployment in Missouri?

You must do at least 3 work search activities each week, unless the Division tells you a different number. You enter them in UInteract during the week or when you file your weekly request for payment. Some people have a different number: Number set by the Division.

What counts as a work search in Missouri?

Searching for work on MoJobs (jobs.mo.gov); Going to a RESEA appointment, a Missouri Job Center workshop, or answering a Job Center job referral; Filling out a paper or online job application; Visiting employers about openings, or following up with them, and 4 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 Missouri?

Log in to UInteract, choose Weekly Request for Payment, then Enter Work Search Details. Enter each activity and click Save after each one. You can add them during the week or when you file. Job Center appointments and work you report also show up as credit.

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

If you do not complete 3 work search activities for a week, benefits for that week will be denied.

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

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. Your notice will say if this applies to you.

Does Missouri check or audit work search records?

The Division can check your work search activities. If you are called for a Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment, your job search is reviewed with Job Center staff.

Checked against DES’s own pages and rules on November 6, 2026. We could not confirm how long to keep your records, how reviews and audits work, the official log form, the same-employer rule on an official page, so check your notice for those.

Sources

• Do I need to search for work? | Missouri Department of Labor
• Filing for Unemployment Insurance Benefits in Missouri (DES pamphlet)
• Information for Workers (DES)
• RSMo 288.040 Eligibility for benefits
• Basic Eligibility Requirements & A Guide To UInteract (2022)
• HB 1356 (2025) bill summary

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.