Partial unemployment vs. Short time compensation or Work Sharing – Florida

by Carlos Valencia

(Tampa, FL, US)

I am working in an engineering company for three years, and they cut my hours from 40 to 32 a weeks, due the workload in the office. It has been 32 hr/wk couple months already.

What are the requirements to collect partial unemployment benefits in Florida?

Hi Carlos,

In general, the requirement to collect unemployment in any state including Florida is to be working less than full-time .. which would be 32 hours or less a week.

Then there is the monetary requirements.

How it works is that once you file an unemployment claim a weekly benefit amount would be established for total unemployment based upon the wages in your base period.

You would be entitled to a partial amount if the wages you do earn, after being reduced by what FL disregards (8 times Federal Minimum Hourly wage) is less than your weekly benefits amount.

Confusing, but you can estimate this closely by checking out the resource linked to on this page.

Ironically, Florida is one of seventeen states that presently has a work share or short-time compensation program that an employer could use which would allow you to recoup some of your lost wages instead of going the partial route which more than likely will not help you.

Short time compensation is a program that an employer can voluntarily use which would help to avoid layoffs and help employees, but I’m not sure all employers are aware of it, or possibly avoid it because it does affect their experiencing rating.

Instead of the unemployment pay being based on earned wages, it allows for it to be based on lost hours.

It’s a good plan, but underused in the states where it is available.

Chris