The N.C. Division of Employment Security has announced that effective Jan. 3, individuals filing new unemployment insurance claims must make five valid job contacts with potential employers for each week claimed.

Senate Bill 15, passed Sept. 10, changed prior legislation which required that those claimants receiving unemployment benefits make contact with two potential employers on two separate days of the week.

If a claimant filed prior to Jan. 3, they will continue to search for work on two separate days with two potential employers. “This change allows claimants to make the required contacts all in one day or throughout the week,” said Employment Security Interim Assistant Secretary Ted Brinn.

Failure to make five contacts in a week may result in a delay or denial of benefits for that week. For any week that a claimant files for unemployment benefits, they must keep a detailed record of their work search activities. Work search records are checked and claimants may be asked to produce work search records for up to five years after filing a claim for benefits. A work search record form may be downloaded from the Division of Employment Security website at www.ncesc.com. Click on the ‘Downloads’ tab, then ‘Forms for Individuals.’

For more details about work search requirements, see the frequently asked questions at www.ncesc.com.