What is a suitable job? And will refusal or quitting suitable work have an effect on my unemployment claim?

by Peggy
(Coral Springs, FL USA)

I have been receiving max ($275 + $25) unemployment benefits since June 2009. 1)I have been offered a part time job making approx $250 per week. Am I required to take this position even though it is lower than my unemployment benefits? 2)Just in case this job doesn't work out after 1 or 2 months, can I restart my unemployment benefits at what they were before?


Hi Peggy,

Is the job suitable to your skills and prior earnings and Florida's other descriptors of what suitable work is in Florida?

Whether the work is suitable or not determines whether you can continue receiving benefits. It's a "refusal of suitable work" issue, which carries the same disqualification as a voluntary quit without good cause.

Unemployment benefits, whether initially or after a subsequent separation from even a part-time job depend on the reason for separation from the most recent work.