Pa. to resume job search requirement for unemployment benefits
May 24—Beginning July 18, Pennsylvania's unemployed workers again will have to prove they applied for two jobs per week to continue to receive jobless benefits, a state labor official said Monday.
Unemployed workers also must register for job search services with the PA CareerLink offices. The requirements were suspended last year as part of Gov. Tom Wolf's measures to limit the spread of covid, and the state's CareerLink offices were closed to the public for the same reason.
The changes could affect about 1 million Pennsylvanians, Acting Labor & Industry Secretary Jennifer Berrier said. About 750,000 individuals are receiving federal aid through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation programs.
"As more Pennsylvanians become vaccinated and our case count continues to decline, workers can more safely return to the workforce," Berrier said. "We have been working with our stakeholder groups and have determined July is the ideal time to reinstate the work search requirement. PA CareerLink locations across the state are ready to provide high-quality, individualized assistance to out-of-work Pennsylvanians as more displaced workers begin the work search process."
But Barney Oursler, director of the Mon Valley Unemployed Committee, which had about a dozen people at the hearing, said jobless workers were required to conduct online searches as far back as January. Now, the department is requiring the job searches to be conducted in person. The workers have to keep records of those job-searching activities, Oursler said.
Meanwhile, Rebecca Oyler, president of the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association, told a House Labor & Industry Committee at a hearing Monday that the changes should be implemented sooner rather than later to help reduce the shortage of commercial truck drivers.
Some of the association's 37,000 members have been told by prospective drivers they would make about as much staying at home as they would by getting behind the wheel and hauling freight at a rate of $20 an hour, Oyler said.
She estimated about 60,000 trucking jobs are available.
Not only should the state require the jobless to look for work, but Pennsylvania should phase out paying those unemployed the extra $300 a week benefit from the federal government, as some 20 other states have done, she said. If workers lost that additional benefit, "it would increase the number of employees looking for the jobs," Oyler said.
To incentivize workers to take jobs that are available, Oyler said some states are shifting the money to "back-to-work" bonuses, Oyler said.
While employers search for workers to fill jobs, the state's unemployment rate was 7.4% for April, and the number of unemployed workers, as adjusted for seasonal hiring factors, was 466,000.
Although business groups and employers have complained the additional $300 a week in federal benefits, which expire in September, have kept people at home instead of returning to work, Berrier said that is "a widespread popular narrative" that is not accurate. The state's jobless receive an average of $340 a week in benefits, plus the additional $300, which is about half of the average worker's wages, Berrier said.
The problem of getting workers to return to jobs is more complex, she said. As Americans reassess work — particularly those with entry-level talent — many are looking for a job with flexibility, benefits and the possibility for advancement, she added.
But State Rep. Eric Davanzo, R-Rostraver, said "the idea of collecting unemployment until that dream job comes along is absurd."
His comments came as individuals protesting a delay in obtaining jobless benefits were removed from the area because they were disrupting the hearing with their shouts.
Joe Napsha is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe at 724-836-5252, jnapsha@triblive.com or via Twitter .
