Indiana DWD Turning Focus To Reemployment As Federal Unemployment Benefits End

Friday, June 18, 2021 at 10:53 AM

Indiana's participation in all federally funded pandemic unemployment insurance programs on Saturday.

Shutterstock photo.

(INDIANAPOLIS) – The State of Indiana is turning its focus to reemployment and training programs as federal unemployment benefits come to an end.

Indiana is scheduled to end its participation in all federally funded pandemic unemployment insurance programs on Saturday.

As of June 1, individuals receiving unemployment benefits once again are required to search for work.

The Department of Workforce Development announced Friday the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) Initiative, which requires unemployment claimants to visit a WorkOne center after receiving benefits for four weeks to log work-search activities and participate in ongoing reemployment services.

“The federal RESEA program educates participants and connects them to available reemployment services through the state’s workforce system and community partners,” DWD Commissioner Fred Payne said. “It’s a very valuable program that especially helps lower-income and/or lower-skilled workers secure suitable reemployment.”

Currently, there are more than 120,000 job openings across the state. Indiana’s unemployment rate has fallen from 16.9 percent in April 2020 to 3.9 percent this past April.

Since March 2020, the DWD has paid nearly 870,000 Hoosiers a total of $8.6 billion in unemployment benefits. Of the $8.6 billion, $6.9 billion came from federal funds.

Hoosiers can find more information on the RESEA Initiative at www.in.gov/dwd/indiana-unemployment/individuals/work-search/.

Other state resources to help Hoosiers find work can be found below.

Workforce Ready Grant: Pays the tuition and fees for eligible high-value certificate programs at Ivy Tech Community College, Vincennes University, Indiana Institute of Technology, or other approved providers. www.in.gov/che/state-financial-aid/state-financial-aid-by-program/workforce-ready-grant/

Indiana Career Connect: Provides workforce services and tools to help employers connect with job-ready talent. www.indianacareerconnect.com

Hoosier Talent Network: Job-matching and career-planning site powered by artificial intelligence to help Hoosiers find the right job match and uncover new training opportunities. www.hoosiertalentnetwork.com

180 Skills: Delivers high-quality, online, technical, employability, and compliance manufacturing skills training aligned with the needs of employers. www.180skills.com

InDemand Jobs: Focuses on high-demand, high-wage jobs for today and tomorrow. The demand indicator uses a methodology that ranks all Indiana jobs based on future growth and wages. www.dwd.in.gov/Indemandjobs

Hoosiers by the Numbers: Premier source for labor market information for Indiana. www.hoosierdata.in.gov/