If you are in need of a job, there may finally be one available for you. As businesses are back into full swing after the devasting COVID-19 pandemic, businesses have never been more desperate for workers. The availability of the COVID-19 vaccinations and the reopening of workplaces now allows more opportunities for Michiganders to be safe and successful in their job search. Wheather looking for a job in the field of your degree, retail, the restaurant industry or anything outside or inbetween, you may be surprised just how many options are now available.
Union Joints owns a number of metro Detroit restaurants like Union Woodshop in Clarkston and Vinsetta Garage in Berkley, and right now they have 300 job openings. There are so many available positions out there, and really it seemed to happen overnight. If this set of restaurants is looking for 300 people, it is hard to imagine who else is hiring right now and what the need for workers in the industry really looks like.
If you are wondering what the best way to job search or even where to start, know that there are many websites that allow you to directly apply, like Indeed or LinkedIn, along with job fairs popping up left and right all over Michigan.
Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency reinstated the work search requirement for unemployment benefits. Those that are currently on unemployment, are now in need of a work search requirement to help give job searchers the extra push to find one. Sunday, May 30 was the first official start date as announced by the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. Anyone receiving unemployment benefits in Michigan after that date will have to prove they’re searching for work. It's a requirement that was suspended throughout the pandemic but now is back in place. Proving that you are applying for jobs isn't the only option to qualify for unemployment benefits though, you can even take a resume writing class or an interviewing class to improve your skills which then help you in the direction to landing a job. Plus, there are even other things that qualify as working towards finding the right job for you, for example, visiting a job fair or interviewing with an employer.
There are exceptions to this new re-instatement. If an individual has an approved waiver, they are exempt from the work search requirement. There are COVID-19-specific exemptions those who are self-employed, unable to work due to COVID-19 or parents taking care of children doing virtual schooling.
The work search requirement was suspended in March 2020 to help get benefits to those who became unemployed due to the pandemic. Currently, Michigan offers up to $662 per week to eligible unemployed workers, including $300 in federally funded benefits from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. The extra $300 and the federal unemployment programs, including the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program, expires in September. Hopefully this will be the push Michiganders need to find a job and get back to life pre-pandemic.
