As Missouri reopens, unemployment requirements return

Jefferson City, MO –– As Missouri continues to reopen under the Show Me Strong Recovery effort and businesses resume operation, the Missouri Department of Labor’s (DOLIR’s) Division of Employment Security (DES) announces the return of unemployment requirements.

Beginning with the week of July 5, 2020, individuals wishing to continue to receive unemployment benefits (including the $600 federal supplement available through July 25, 2020) will be required to perform work search activities that had been lifted for those that had filed a coronavirus-related unemployment claim.

Work search activities are required for programs including regular Unemployment Insurance (UI), Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), Extended Benefits (EB), and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC).

Individuals with an employer-submitted recall date, in approved training, and those employees on the Shared Work program will be exempt from the work search requirement. All other claimants will be required to perform and report three work search activities per week to remain eligible for benefits. Union members with a hiring or referral hall may contact their hall three times per week or attend training for the required number of work search activities.

Qualified work search activities include, but are not limited to, filing an application (online or in-person) with an employer or through job posting sites or attending a job fair, job interview, reemployment service or skills workshop. Part-time employment performed during a week is credited on a per-day basis.

Missouri Job Centers are available to assist unemployed workers with these requirements by providing customized job searches through jobs.mo.gov, job fairs, Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) appointments, workshops to help develop and refine skills and other training programs. Employers are encouraged to post job openings on MoJobs.

For more information about services available through the Missouri Job Centers, visit jobs.mo.gov.