Getting unemployment benefits? A lot is changing in the coming days

State requirements for unemployment benefits in Indiana and Michigan are changing.

The rule requiring people to actively search for work while receiving unemployment benefits was suspended during the midst of the pandemic.

On May 30, people in Michigan will be required to submit details about at least one work search activity per week. That includes anything from creating a resume on a job site, attending a job fair or actually applying.

Michiganders will need to keep it all documented because the state can ask people to verify the search progress. If the documentation is not correct or a person is just not searching at all, the benefits will stop coming or you will have to pay it back.

In Indiana, people will be required to actively search for work beginning June 1.

Starting the week of June 6-12, state officials will be looking over weekly answers regarding a person’s job search. Similar to Michigan, a person must submit at least one activity, such as an application, online workshop or interview.

According to Governor Eric Holcomb’s office, Indiana is on the comeback from high unemployment rates during the height of the pandemic and that means the state is pulling out of federally funded unemployment programs.

For those who receive the $300 Federal Unemployment Compensation, the last week people will receive this payment is June 19. That is the same for the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program (PEUC) and the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA).

Current unemployment numbers in Indiana, provided by the state, show higher rates than the state average in St. Joseph, La Porte and Starke counties.

County by county, the South Bend-Mishawaka MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) shows 148,847 people employed and 7,494 people unemployed as of April. That is a 4.8% unemployment rate.

The Elkhart-Goshen MSA shows 110,088 people were employed and 3,412 were unemployed. That is a 3% unemployment rate.

In Michigan, the Niles-Benton Harbor metro area had 66,500 people employed as of March, with 4,100 unemployed. That is a 5.8% unemployment rate, down from 6% in February.

While the state’s extended benefits program has ended, the federal extensions are in place until September 4. The extensions include the weekly $300 check.