Delawareans will soon be required to look for a job if they want to claim unemployment.
That requirement was waived shortly after the pandemic started last March. But starting June 12, all Delawareans claiming unemployment will need to register with the state’s online job resource, joblink, and actively look for work.
“The work search requirement is continuous, and it’s unique, meaning you can’t apply for the same job each week and that counts,” said Delaware Division of Unemployment Director Darryl Scott. “It has to be a different job that you’re pursuing.”
But Scott notes there are multiple ways to qualify including attending job fairs, participating in job interviews or a certified training program.
The Department of Labor reinstating the requirement comes as Delaware’s jobless rate ticked down last month for the first time since October.
In April, the First State’s unemployment rate was 6.4 percent, compared to 6.1 percent nationally.
At this time last year, during the COVID lockdowns, unemployment reached 13.4 percent in Delaware.
The state has since added about 44,800 jobs for an increase of more than 11 percent.
The biggest rebound has been in the leisure and hospitality industry. The Delaware Restaurant Association has long advocated for the Department of Labor to bring back the requirement to look for work while receiving unemployment.
Scott says his office continues to try to catch up after last year’s surge.
“The volume of work that’s been done over the last year, there’s still a lot of backend processes that will keep us busy for months,” he said.
More than $1.2 billion has been paid out to more than 220,000 claims filed by Delawareans for unemployment insurance since March of last year. The state continues to see more than 4,200 new weekly claims.
