The Real World Of Unemployment Benefits

Regarding "Loss of jobless aid leaves many with bleak options" (Monday Nation), I was amazed to read in the AP article that "Without their unemployment checks, many will abandon what had been a futile search and will no longer look for a job.....Beneficiaries have been required to look for work to receive unemployment checks."

 

First off, it makes no sense that when people are deprived of that paycheck that they will stop looking for work.  Quite the contrary.  Second, if the author had done a little homework, they would know that the job search requirements of the TWC (Texas Workforce Commission) and similar agencies nationwide are meaningless.  People on unemployment are required to do only three job searches per week, and the "search" can be as simple as filling out an online application, which takes five minutes.  And there is little oversight: Beneficiaries are not required to provide any documentation to the TWC, and audits by the TWC are virtually non-existent.

 

The one thing I won't disagree with in the article is that - under the current system, - the job search is "futile".  If you can coast by on three searches per week with no scrutiny from the TWC, you  aren't really trying to get a job, and likely never will.  Beneficiaries should be required to demonstrate four hours of effort per day, with regular scrutiny and guidance by the TWC.  Until that happens, the demand for Unemployment benefits will continue to grow out of control.

 

Pete Smith

Cypress, TX