Alaska requires only 2 work search contacts per week — one of the lowest requirements in the United States — a threshold that acknowledges the limited job markets in many Alaska communities, particularly smaller cities, rural areas, and seasonal industry corridors.
- Make 2 job contacts per week and log them in UA Connect during your weekly certification. Failure to meet the work search requirement can stop your Alaska Division of Employment and Training Services payments.
- Remote and online job applications count. Alaska Division of Employment and Training Services has updated its work search standards to reflect the remote work economy.
- Alaska Division of Employment and Training Services audits work search logs. Vague or unverifiable contacts — "applied online, no company name" — may not be accepted during an audit.
Always verify exact numbers, deadlines, and forms on Alaska Division of Employment and Training Services's official website – this page provides general guidance, not state-specific legal advice.
What Counts as a Valid Contact
A qualifying work search contact includes direct job applications (in person, online, by mail), submissions to employers through job boards (Indeed, LinkedIn, Alaska Jobs Center), referrals accepted through Alaska Job Center Network offices, and documented contact with employers about open positions. Alaska Division of Employment and Training Services expects you to be pursuing work in your field or a comparable field — repeatedly applying to jobs outside your experience or at wage levels far below the position you left may raise questions during an audit. Document each contact with the employer's name, contact method, date, position applied for, and contact name if available. Vague entries like "applied online" without an employer name will not survive an audit.
Alaska Job Center Network
Alaska's Job Center Network offices — located in Anchorage, Juneau, Fairbanks, Wasilla, Kodiak, Kenai, and other communities — provide job listings, resume assistance, and referrals that all count toward your weekly contact requirement. Registering with Alaska's job center job bank (jobs.alaska.gov) can satisfy contacts through the job bank listing system. If you're in a remote area far from a Job Center, the online job bank and remote applications are your primary tools. Alaska Division of Employment and Training Services encourages use of the Alaska Job Center Network, and referrals through these offices are among the cleanest documentation you can have for a work search audit.
Seasonal Work Search Context
Alaska's seasonal economy creates distinct work search situations. A fishing processor laid off in October with no cannery openings until May faces a labor market with genuinely limited local opportunities. Alaska Division of Employment and Training Services's work search requirements accommodate this reality somewhat through the low 2-contact-per-week standard, but you must still make genuine contacts. Remote job applications, applications to employers in other states if you're willing to relocate, and contacts with employers who will be hiring in the upcoming season all count. Document them specifically.
Frequently Asked Questions
- I live in a small Southeast Alaska town and there are almost no local jobs. How am I supposed to make 2 contacts per week?
- Alaska's 2-contact requirement exists precisely because many Alaska communities have thin local job markets. You can contact employers in other areas — Juneau, Anchorage, Sitka — and apply for remote or online work. Applications to jobs.alaska.gov listings count, as do applications to out-of-area employers if you're willing to work there or relocate. Contact the Alaska Job Center Network — even a remote consultation with job center staff may count as a qualifying activity. Document all contacts specifically: employer name, date, position, method of contact. Two genuine contacts per week, even if they're remote applications or out-of-town employers, keeps you in compliance with Alaska Division of Employment and Training Services.
- Do LinkedIn job applications count toward my Alaska UI work search?
- Yes. Online applications through LinkedIn, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Alaska's jobs.alaska.gov job bank, or any other platform count as work search contacts under Alaska Division of Employment and Training Services's standards. When logging them in UA Connect, include: the company name, the position title, the date you applied, and "applied via LinkedIn" (or whichever platform) as the contact method. Do not list "LinkedIn" as the employer — the company posting the job is the employer. If you apply to 10 LinkedIn jobs in one week, you only need to log 2, but record them all in your personal work search log in case of audit.
- Alaska Division of Employment and Training Services sent me a letter saying they're auditing my work search. What should I have ready?
- Gather your full work search log with specific employer names, dates, positions, and contact methods for every week being audited. If you applied online, screenshot or print your application confirmation pages. LinkedIn's "applied jobs" history and Indeed's application history are useful documentation. If you spoke with employers in person or by phone, write a contemporaneous note of who you spoke with, what was discussed, and when. Alaska Division of Employment and Training Services's audit process compares your UA Connect log entries against verifiable employer contacts. Vague entries ("applied online") fail audits; specific ones ("submitted application to Carrs/Safeway for shift supervisor position via careers.safeway.com on March 14") pass.
- I was offered a part-time job in Juneau at minimum wage during my UI period. Do I have to take it?
- Alaska law requires you to accept "suitable work" — but not every job offer meets that standard. Suitable work considers the wages, hours, distance, and whether the work is reasonably matched to your skills and prior wage level. A minimum-wage part-time offer when you previously earned $25/hour in a professional role may not be suitable work in Alaska's analysis — especially early in your benefit period. However, as your benefit period extends, Alaska Division of Employment and Training Services's definition of suitable work can broaden. If you turn down an offer, report it honestly in UA Connect and be prepared to explain why. Alaska Division of Employment and Training Services evaluates refusals individually — don't decline and fail to report, which is a bigger problem than the refusal itself.
- I'm a fishing boat crew member laid off for the off-season. Does looking for fishing jobs for next season count as a work search?
- Contacting fishing vessel operators, canneries, or processors about positions in the upcoming season counts as work search activity — these are real employers and real job opportunities, even if the start date is months away. Log them specifically: boat name or company, captain/operator name or contact, date of contact, position, and method of contact. Alaska Division of Employment and Training Services is familiar with the fishing industry's hiring cycle and the seasonal nature of these searches. Combine your fishing-industry outreach with applications to any off-season work you'd genuinely consider — warehouse, processing, or other work — to show an active and broad work search.