Purpose of the Bill

The purpose of this bill is to alter the definition of "available for suitable employment" for individuals applying for unemployment benefits in Minnesota. It aims to clarify what it means for an applicant to be ready, willing, and able to take on suitable employment.

Main Provisions

• Genuine Attachment to Workforce: Applicants must truly be ready to work, without any self-imposed or circumstantial restrictions that would prevent them from accepting suitable employment.

• Class Attendance for Students: Students need to be willing to stop attending classes if it interferes with accepting suitable jobs, unless they can change their class schedule or make suitable arrangements.

• Being Present in the Labor Market Area: Applicants are not considered available if they are absent from their local labor market area for personal reasons, except when conducting a remote job search.

• Work Hours and Days: Applicants who restrict their work hours or days outside the norm for their usual job or other suitable employment are not considered available for work. They must be ready to work during daytime hours if that is when suitable employment is typically scheduled, even if they previously worked night shifts.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

This bill proposes revisions to the existing law by providing more detailed scenarios in which applicants would not be considered "available for suitable employment." These include:

• Adding stipulations for students about discontinuing classes for job availability.
• Emphasizing the necessity of staying within the labor market area, except for remote job searches.
• Clarifying that previous work hours do not exempt applicants from needing to be available for daytime employment if that is standard for the job they are seeking.

Relevant Terms

unemployment benefits, suitable employment, workforce, class attendance, labor market area, personal reasons, daytime employment, class schedule, work hours, job availability, genuine attachment to workforce