More required from Ohioans getting unemployment
6/10/2014COLUMBUS — New regulations are requiring Ohioans to do more to get unemployment benefits.
The rules now require people looking for employment to post their resumes on Ohio’s job-search website, take three assessments and complete an unemployment questionnaire to continue receiving benefits.
State officials tell The Columbus Dispatch they hope the new process will expedite the job search for the unemployed.
“The longer individuals are unemployed, the harder it becomes for them to find work,” said Cynthia C. Dungey, director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
The rules were approved last year by the state Legislature. Workers will still be required to apply for at least two jobs every week.
Those applying for unemployment compensation will have eight weeks to upload a new resume at OhioMeansJobs.com and make it “public,” so potential employers can find it. They’ll have 14 weeks to complete assessment tests and 20 weeks to complete a career questionnaire to determine the types of work that best suit them.
The requirements can be waived for workers scheduled to return to the job, students and union members seeking work through “hiring halls,” used by organized labor.
Nearly 67,000 Ohioans were collecting unemployment benefits as of May 31.