Work searches are again required starting this week for those Pennsylvanians seeking to collect unemployment benefits.

Currently, there are 750,000 residents across the state receiving unemployment, the Department of Labor and Industry reported.

In an effort to help residents who may have lost their job and in light of all the businesses that had to close due to COVID-19, the state suspended the requirement to show proof of a job search for more than a year.

PA CareerLink’s Carbon County office has already seen an uptick in visitors in light of the reinstituted requirement.

“There’s been a slight increase in people coming in, especially Monday, and it’s mostly just a lot of questions from people who may not have done this before or don’t remember how to do it,” said Samuel Hellen, CareerLink administrator in Carbon County. “We’re here to direct them to the information they need. We can’t fill it out for them, but we can pretty much guide them to exactly what they need to do in complying with this requirement.”

The PA CareerLink website, www.pacareerlink.pa.gov, shows 306 job postings for Carbon County, 1,066 for Schuylkill, 1,429 for Monroe, 1,581 for Northampton, and 6,580 for Lehigh.

Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate dropped to 6.9% in May, but was still significantly above the national average of 5.8%.

At www.carboncareerlink.org, job seekers can find documents helping them with resume tips, job applications, and a guide to the employment interview.

“There are a lot of jobs out there right now, there is no question about it,” Hellen said. “The services on our website, they are free to both the job seekers and the employer. In addition, you can find information for workshops we offer here on interview assistance, putting together a resume, things like that.”

Most recently, unemployment recipients have also collected an extra $300 per week in federal aid. At the beginning of the pandemic, that extra amount was $600 and many local business owners attribute it as a major reason why they can’t find workers.

Claimants file for benefits the week after they are unemployed, so individuals will have to start proving they looked for jobs beginning July 18. The expectation is that people will apply for two jobs and satisfy a third requirement, which could be attending a hiring event, such as a job fair.

There are exemptions to the work search requirement for those people who:

• Receive work through a union hiring hall;

• Are on a Shared Work plan through their employer;

• Are in Trade Act training;

• Are attending a Re-employment Services and Eligibility Assessment Grants session for the week, or;

• Have written recall dates from their employer.

“That’s probably the number one question we hear is if we have a date to go back to work do we need to do this and the answer is no,” Hellen said.

According to CareerLink officials, a repeated application for the same position will not satisfy the requirement. Claimants can apply for jobs by phone, online, mail or in person.