The weekly work search rule in Minnesota
The agency does not post a set number. You must actively look for suitable work each week you request benefits and make a serious effort to find work every week. If your benefits are based on part-time work, you can limit your search to part-time work.
Answer the work search questions in your weekly benefit payment request, online or by phone.
File and certify on the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Unemployment Insurance Program site. The rules can change, so check DEED's work search page if a letter from them says something different.
| Minnesota rule | |
|---|---|
| Each week | The agency does not post a set number. You must actively look for suitable work each week you request benefits and make a serious effort to find work every week. If your benefits are based on part-time work, you can limit your search to part-time work. |
| How you report it | Answer the work search questions in your weekly benefit payment request, online or by phone. |
| Enter each activity online | No, you keep your own record |
| Keep records | Not required, but the agency says it is a good idea to keep track of what you do to look for work in case it asks. |
| Agency | Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Unemployment Insurance Program |
Source: Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Unemployment Insurance Program (www.uimn.org), checked 2026-10-20.
What counts as a work search activity in Minnesota
Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Unemployment Insurance Program lists these:
- Visiting an employer to fill out a job application
- Preparing and mailing resumes in response to employer ads or job leads
- Calling employers to set up job interviews
- Job seeking skills classes, workshops, job clubs or similar activities
- Meeting with a career counselor and taking skills and interests tests
- Networking in your field and industry
- Searching online job banks, bulletin boards, and professional or trade publications
- Researching companies in your field and current labor market conditions
- Keeping in contact with professional organizations
- Attending a Reemployment Session at a CareerForce location
Who does not have to search for work in Minnesota
If the agency approves full-time training, the training takes the place of the work search requirement. Members of a referral union who are not allowed to look for work on their own meet the requirement by staying in good standing with the union.
Keep your work search log free
Write down each activity the day you do it: the date, the employer, how you contacted them, the job, and what happened. If the state asks to see your search, the log is your proof.
The free work search log in Capstone Careers keeps it for you: each application you send through Capstone Careers goes on it by itself, you add the ones you do elsewhere, and you can save the week as a PDF.
Need more applications to reach your number? See openings near you and get a resume written for each one.
Training while you are on unemployment in Minnesota
If you want to train for a new job, WIOA can pay for approved training if you qualify. See how WIOA works in Minnesota.
Approved training is on DEED's list of exemptions above, so ask DEED before you start.
Sources
- Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Unemployment Insurance Program: work search rules
- Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Unemployment Insurance Program (www.uimn.org)
- Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Unemployment Insurance Program (www.uimn.org)
- Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Unemployment Insurance Program (www.uimn.org)
- Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Unemployment Insurance Program (www.uimn.org)