The weekly work search rule in Nebraska
5 reemployment activities each benefit week, and at least 2 of the 5 must be applications for suitable work. Your resume in NEworks must also stay online and searchable by employers every week you claim.
Record your reemployment activities in NEworks before you submit your weekly claim. Log them during the week with the Work Search Log option, or when you file the weekly claim. Activities are subject to audit.
File and certify on the Nebraska Department of Labor site. The rules can change, so check NDOL's work search page if a letter from them says something different.
| Nebraska rule | |
|---|---|
| Each week | 5 reemployment activities each benefit week, and at least 2 of the 5 must be applications for suitable work. Your resume in NEworks must also stay online and searchable by employers every week you claim. |
| How you report it | Record your reemployment activities in NEworks before you submit your weekly claim. Log them during the week with the Work Search Log option, or when you file the weekly claim. Activities are subject to audit. |
| Enter each activity online | Yes, each activity goes into the state system |
| Agency | Nebraska Department of Labor |
Source: Nebraska Department of Labor (dol.nebraska.gov), checked 2026-10-20.
What counts as a work search activity in Nebraska
Nebraska Department of Labor lists these:
- Attending a Nebraska Reemployment Services Session
- Searching internet job banks or professional and trade publications
- Applying to a job on NEworks.nebraska.gov
- Applying to a job on another job bank or an employer's website
- Attending a resume writing class
- Attending job seeking skills classes, workshops or job clubs
- Meeting with a career counselor
- Attending a networking event in your field
- Attending a job fair
- Joining a professional organization in your field
- Taking a civil service exam
- Taking a pre-employment exam an employer asks for
- Taking skills and interests tests from the Department of Labor or a college
- Visiting an employer's business to fill out a job application
- Calling employers to set up job interviews
Who does not have to search for work in Nebraska
Exceptions include people on a temporary layoff whose employer has confirmed a return date within 16 weeks (112 days), workers in good standing with a union hiring hall, and people in a TRADE or Approved Training program. You must keep searching until NDOL tells you the requirement is waived.
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 Nebraska
If you want to train for a new job, WIOA can pay for approved training if you qualify. See how WIOA works in Nebraska.
Approved training is on NDOL's list of exemptions above, so ask NDOL before you start.