Unemployment benefits proposal of 5 job search activities per week... US Labor Department requires reporting before payment

The U.S. Department of Labor proposed a rule requiring unemployment insurance claimants to complete five qualifying job-search activities per week and to report those activities before benefits are paid, establishing a federal minimum standard for requirements that have varied by state. The proposal would set five activities per week as the default, while also offering an alternative under which states assign point values to different activities so claimants meet an equivalent threshold, and it would recognize labor-market attachment on equal footing. U.S. unemployment insurance is jointly run by federal and state governments; federal law has long required claimants to be able and willing to work and actively seeking jobs, but states have set the number and scope of accepted job-search activities. The department said the proposal makes the active job-search requirement more specific. The rule matters because it would narrow state discretion over benefit eligibility and could affect how quickly claims are processed and paid. What to watch next is the public comment period and whether states challenge or adapt to the federal minimum.