GREEN BAY, Wis.— Wisconsin unemployment insurance (UI) recipients will again be required to prove they’re looking for work search in order to keep receiving benefits.

The state Department of Workforce Development waived the requirement in February to help unemployed workers during the pandemic.

DWD planned to reinstate the requirement July 10. On Wednesday, state lawmakers voted to reinstate the requirement in Sunday, May 23.

Matt Valiquette is executive director of the Bay Area Workforce Development Board. He says employers in Brown County are in need of workers.

“Our employers, many of them, are at the point of desperation to meet their workforce needs,” he said.

Valiquette said county employers posted more than 600 jobs over the past 30 days.

“There’s no more better time to be searching for work in that sense because there are so many career opportunities, meaningful employment paying family sustaining wages that are available,” he says.

He’s hopeful people who start applying again will find good jobs and allow the regional economy to recover.

According to the DWD website, examples of Valid Work Search Actions include the following: 

The website says acceptable proof one has performed these actions are: