The U.S. Department of Labor has launched a new effort to reduce improper Unemployment Insurance (UI) payments across the nation.

"Providing states with resources to recognize and combat improper Unemployment Insurance payments is a critical piece of our federal-state partnership," U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta said, according to a USDOL news release. "I have contacted governors across the nation and asked them to recommit to lowering the UI improper payment rate in their state. The Department stands ready to help states with high level of improper payments by providing targeted assistance."

In addition, the USDOL has published a redesigned "Unemployment Insurance Payment Accuracy by State" webpage that show each state's improper UI payment rate. The page offers information on each state's root causes of improper payments and other data.

Need help guiding UI claimants and the unemployed to employment? Workforce development professionals: Request a complimentary review sample of Your Employment Search (YES).

How do your job seekers find job openings? If they are searching the big online job sites only, they may be leaving many job possibilities on the table. It is important for job hunters to let people know they are job searching, to ask for job leads, and to look for opportunities beyond traditional job search channels.

Job seekers may find job leads and openings through the following:

1. Local American Job Center
2. Employers of interest, even if no jobs are advertised
3. Companies running numerous help-wanted ads (they’re hiring)
4. Family, friends, and neighbors
5. Alumni association and career services at their school or college
6. Professional groups and events
7. Colleagues and former co-workers 
8. Past classmates and teachers 
9. Hobbies, clubs, and sports
10. People at their place of worship 
11. People they know through their children and their spouse/significant other
12. People with whom they do volunteer work and community service 
13. People who provide services, such as their dentist, accountant, and insurance agent
14. People they've helped in the past 
15. Recruiters and employment agencies 
16. Job fairs and hiring events
17. News articles about growing companies
18. Business journals and specialty publications and job sites for their field and related industries 
19. LinkedIn and other social media
20. Freelancing, part-time work, and consulting work

The more doors your job seekers knock on, the more likely it is they will find a job soon. 

Need help guiding job hunters to employment or reemployment? Workforce development professionals: Request a complimentary review sample of Your Employment Search (YES).
 

Are your job seekers limiting their prospects? For example, are they looking at just one job title? If so, they may be missing out on the best possibilities.
 
Consider sharing with your job hunters these 3 ways to expand a job search to get hired faster in a position that’s best for them:

1. Expand your job title based on your skills. List all the titles that your desired job can be called. For example, a marketing manager may be called a brand manager, communications coordinator, or promotions specialist. Online job sites will bring up similar job titles in a search. Don’t ignore the job titles that look like a poor match at first glance; read the job ad and consider whether your background matches the role. Also important are transferable skills—those skills that easily transfer from one occupation to another, such as computer skills and interpersonal skills.
2. Expand your target employer list. Although you may want to work for a certain employer, broaden your hunt to include all organizations that need your skills. 
3. Expand your job search approach. Don’t let online job hunting be your sole search method. Direct human contact is still the best way to get hired. Also reach out to employers, even if you don’t see advertised job openings. 

Want to give your job seekers more job search guidance, tailored to their needs? Consider using Your Employment Search (YES), published by Career Action Resources, LLC. YES measures and teaches productive job-seeking skills in 5 key areas to immediately boost the job search.

Workforce development professionas: Request a complimentary YES review sample now.