Official State of Rhode Island website

State of Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training

Work Search Requirement

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The Department’s Work Search Requirement is as follows: 

  • You must complete three (3) weekly work search activities.  
  • At least one (1) submitted job application to an employer that has a suitable vacancy, and 
  • At least two (2) other qualified work search activities, such as:  
  • Submitting additional job applications with employers who have openings/vacancies that are reasonably suited to the claimant, 
  • Participating in a job interview with an employer, 
  • Registering for work, posting a resume, creating a personal user profile, or logging on and looking for work with a job placement service company such as a staffing agency, recruitment agency, State Job Board, a professional networking site (such as LinkedIn), or a DLT career center. 
  • Participating in reemployment services at the DLT career center, such as Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) activities, participating in skills assessment for occupational matching, instructional workshops, or other specialized activities. 
  • Attending job fairs, career networking meetings, or employment-related workshops. 
  • Making online contacts or in-person visits to inquire about work with employers that currently have or are reasonably expected to have job openings. 
  • Working all available hours for a part-time employer. 
  • Other activities, which at the Director's discretion are deemed substantially equivalent. 

DLT provides work search activity logs that you can use to keep track of your work search. 

Download the Work Search Log

Frequently Asked Questions

  • You must complete three (3) weekly work search activities.
    • At least one (1) submitted job application to an employer that has a suitable vacancy, and
    • At least two (2) other qualified work search activities, such as:
      • Submitting additional job applications with employers who have openings/vacancies that are reasonably suited to the claimant,
      • Participating in a job interview with an employer,
      • Registering for work, posting a resume, creating a personal user profile, or logging on and looking for work with a job placement service company such as a staffing agency, recruitment agency, State Job Board, a professional networking site (such as LinkedIn), or a DLT career center.
      • Participating in reemployment services at the DLT career center, such as Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) activities, participating in skills assessment for occupational matching, instructional workshops, or other specialized activities.
      • Attending job fairs, career networking meetings, or employment-related workshops.
      • Making online contacts or in-person visits to inquire about work with employers that currently have or are reasonably expected to have job openings.
      • Working all available hours for a part-time employer.
      • Other activities, which at the Director's discretion are deemed substantially equivalent. 
  • You are not required to look for work if you:
    • Are in a department-approved vocational training or adult education program
    • Are a member (in good standing) of a labor union that uses a “hiring hall”  to find work
    • Are on WorkShare
    • Actively participating in Jury Duty
    • Being recalled by an employer or being hired for a new full-time job with a start date scheduled within 10 business days of the date hired.
    • Job attached and scheduled to return to work within 12 weeks from your last day of work.
      • If it has been more than 12 weeks since your last day of work, then you are required to be actively seeking work by completing the work search requirement. 
  • You must complete 3 work search activities each week. At least one of these must be applying for a full-time job.
  • While we encourage people to take on part-time work when available, the goal of unemployment insurance is to help support you until you're able to return to full-time work, so you still need to look for full-time jobs even if you're currently working part-time. 
  • No, you do not need to submit your work search log to DLT when you certify weekly.
  • However, your claim may be randomly audited at any time, and at that point, you would be required to send DLT records of your work search that DLT will then verify.
    • If you fail to do so, your claim may be set up for an administrative review, which could potentially lead to your benefits being stopped and may create an overpayment. You would then be required to pay back UI benefits for any week you did not look for work. 
  • There are a few instances where you may be required to provide your work search records to DLT.
    • The Benefit Accuracy Measurement team conducts random claim audits. If your claim is randomly selected for audit, it doesn’t mean you’ve done anything wrong, but attendance is mandatory. Failure to participate or provide work search will stop your benefits and may create an overpayment.
    • Adjudication is scheduled to review your eligibility for benefits as needed. If adjudication is necessary for your claim, be prepared for your appointment and provide all information requested. You may be asked to provide your work search records as part of this process.
  • Refusing an offer of work while collecting unemployment insurance requires adjudication to determine if the work was suitable and the reason for the refusal. If you refuse an offer of work, report this to the Department during your weekly payment request so that an official determination can be rendered. Employers also report job refusals to the Department. Failure to notify the Department of a job refusal may lead to a denial and overpayment of benefits that you would be responsible for repaying.
  • “Suitable work” is defined in the RI General Laws, Section 28-44-20 (b). 
  • Adjudication means that DLT has questions about your eligibility for unemployment insurance. Because unemployment recipients need to be available for and actively seeking work, if you turn down a job offer or are not looking for work, the Department may need to review your claim to see whether or not you’re still eligible for benefits.
  • If your claim is being adjudicated, you will receive written notification of the date and time of the scheduled telephone interview. You and your employer (if needed) will be contacted by an investigator to hear all the facts related to the issue, and you will have an opportunity to present your side of the case. You may bring witnesses or someone to represent you, and you should bring any documents or other evidence that will support your claim. The adjudicator will then make a decision on whether or not you can receive benefits. You will continue to receive payments while your claim is in adjudication until a decision is issued by the department. You have the right to appeal if you do not agree with the decision. More information is available here.
  • Visit our Job Seeker Resources page on the DLT website for various resources to help you in your journey to find your next job opportunity. Information about our Career Centers can also be found on this page, so you can visit any one of our 3 locations to meet with a job coach. 
  • Backtoworkri.com is the state’s Virtual Career Center and has numerous resources available to job seekers. You can schedule a one-on-one virtual meeting with a job coach and learn about open trainings.
  • EmployRI.org lists thousands of job opportunities posted across the state.
  • There are also numerous other job sites, such as LinkedIn, Indeed, Idealist, ZipRecruiter, and Monster.