Trump Administration Proposes Tightening Unemployment Benefits Rules, Requiring Claimants to Complete 5 Job-Search Activities a Week

The U.S. Department of Labor proposed a rule that would require people claiming unemployment insurance to complete at least five work-search activities a week, with Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling saying it improves "the overall integrity of our unemployment system."

The department’s Employment and Training Administration announced the proposal Monday in a news release. Under the Trump administration’s proposal, claimants would have to report the activities before payment is issued. Sonderling said the rule "helps jobseekers find work faster and ensures efficient use of taxpayer resources."

Proposed National Work-Search Standard

The proposal would set a national minimum weekly standard for the Federal-State Unemployment Insurance Program. It would also count modern job-search activities beyond employer contacts, including registration and ongoing contact with placement agencies and unions. The department is also seeking comment on a points-based system that could let states prioritize activities connecting people to sectors with more job openings. Comments are due 60 days after the rule’s publication in the Federal Register.

Potential Impact on States and Unemployment Claimants

Federal law requires every state to have a work-search requirement, but states set their own eligibility rules, CNBC reported on Monday. Only four states currently require at least five work searches a week, Michele Evermore, senior director of economic security and worker transitions at the National Employment Law Project, wrote in an email. She called the change "devastating to claimants who may not have five search options for every week they are unemployed." Nearly all states would have to change their claimant intake forms and technology, and many would have to rewrite their laws, she said, according to the report.

Job Market Was Already Soft Before the Proposal

The Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday that the U.S. economy added 165,000 jobs in October, well above the 65,000 economists expected, and that the unemployment rate fell to 4.1% from a 4.2% forecast. August payrolls were revised up to 186,000 from 133,000, and September to 60,000 from 29,000.

Hiring signals had been weaker earlier in the fall. In October, market commentator The Kobeissi Letter said in a post on X that U.S.-based employers announced plans to hire 90,787 seasonal workers in September, down 23% from 117,313 in September 2025 and the fewest for that month since 2011.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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