The Rise in Unemployment Insurance Exhaustions and What Can Be Done About It

The author reviewed an extensive body of research on the secular rise in unemployment insurance (UI) exhaustions and the solutions currently in place. The author made recommendations to strengthen federal and state policy. Too few of the claimants likely to exhaust were being referred to employment-related services, especially intensive services. In addition, evaluations suggested that selective use of retraining could be worthwhile but that further steps should be taken to increase the chances that the courses chosen were appropriate for the participant’s interests and ability and that they matched the needs of employers in their community