May 11, 2021 / 06:57 PM EST
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) An executive order issued Tuesday calls for the reinstatement of rules for Hoosiers seeking unemployment benefits.
Gov. Eric Holcomb’s order also changed several other measures instituted during the coronavirus pandemic.
Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced March 24, 2020, that any Hoosiers out of work, including temporary layoffs, were eligible to apply for unemployment benefits. That change eliminated several requirements, including one that required recipients of jobless benefits to be actively seeking employment.
The executive order says people seeking jobless benefits starting June 1 must be:
Actively seeking full-time work.
Participating in job counseling services when required.
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Gov. Eric Holcomb plans to issue an executive order early next week to reinstate the work-search requirement for claimants of unemployment insurance benefits.
WORK TO BE DONE
Rick Farrant
The unemployment rate in northeast Indiana has been running below 5%, the labor force grew for the first time in 10 months in March, and employers throughout the region are hiring.
By a number of metrics, the region s workforce landscape seems to be healthy and the economy rebounding from a virus-fueled slowdown. But there is one glaring exception.
Throughout virtually every industry in northeast Indiana, employers are asking the same question: Where are the workers?
There is an air of frustration bordering on desperation, and there seems to be no speedy remedy other than people who are able need to get back to work.
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Gov. Eric Holcomb plans to issue an executive order early next week to reinstate the work-search requirement for claimants of unemployment insurance benefits.
The rule, which was waived early during the coronavirus pandemic, requires people to actively search for work each week to remain eligible for benefits.
In a statement issued Friday evening, Holcomb said he asked the Indiana Department of Workforce Development to complete a demographic analysis of unemployed Hoosiers over the past 16 months.
That information would be use to help determine whether Indiana would continue to participate in federal unemployment programs. The analysis also would include a comparison of the state s current workforce versus its pre-pandemic workforce.