Wyoming Department of Workforce Services requires 3 work search contacts per week as a condition of Wyoming UI Claims payments — each must be logged with specific employer and contact details in Wyoming UI Claims during weekly certification.
- Make 3 verifiable contacts per week and log them in Wyoming UI Claims with employer name, date, position, and contact method. Vague entries — "applied online" without a company name — fail audits.
- Remote job applications and applications to employers outside Wyoming count if you're willing to relocate or work remotely. Wyoming's energy industry concentration means many job seekers also search in Texas, North Dakota, or Colorado energy markets.
- Wyoming Department of Workforce Services may audit work search records. Keep a personal log with application confirmation emails and screenshots as backup to your Wyoming UI Claims entries.
Always verify exact numbers, deadlines, and forms on Wyoming Department of Workforce Services's official website – this page provides general guidance, not state-specific legal advice.
Valid Work Search Activities
Wyoming Department of Workforce Services counts job applications to any employer (online, in-person, by mail), direct employer contacts about open positions, referrals from Wyoming Workforce Centers, employment agency contacts, and attendance at job fairs with employer contacts as valid work search activities. Wyoming Workforce Centers in Cheyenne, Casper, Gillette, Rock Springs, Riverton, Laramie, Sheridan, Jackson, and Cody list local job openings and can generate referrals that count toward your 3-contact requirement. Wyoming Department of Workforce Services's own job listing portal (jobs.wyo.gov) tracks Wyoming employer postings. Log every contact specifically: employer name (the company, not the job board), position, date, and method.
Energy Workers Searching Across State Lines
Wyoming energy workers — coal miners, gas field operators, oil rig crews, and energy services technicians — frequently search in energy markets outside Wyoming when Wyoming's production slows. Applications to Texas Permian Basin employers, North Dakota Bakken operators, Colorado DJ Basin companies, or remote energy tech positions all count toward your 3-contact Wyoming requirement if you're genuinely willing to accept those positions. Document them specifically in Wyoming UI Claims — company name, position, date, application method. Wyoming Department of Workforce Services recognizes that its energy workforce has always been mobile across regional energy markets.
Wyoming Workforce Centers
Wyoming Workforce Centers — operated by Wyoming Department of Workforce Services — provide job referrals, resume assistance, skills assessments, and connections to Wyoming employers. Workforce Center contacts count toward your weekly search requirement and generate documented records that Wyoming Department of Workforce Services can independently verify. If you're in a rural Wyoming energy community far from a main Workforce Center, Wyoming Department of Workforce Services has resources for remote job seekers including online listings through jobs.wyo.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
- I'm a laid-off Gillette coal miner and there are almost no local coal jobs right now. How do I make 3 contacts per week?
- Expand beyond current Gillette coal openings. Contact coal mine operators about future hiring as the market recovers — even a contact about anticipated future openings counts. Apply to energy services companies, equipment maintenance firms, and construction contractors that serve the Powder River Basin. Consider transferable applications: mine mechanics can apply to industrial equipment maintenance, equipment operators to construction, and supervisory roles to other mining operations in other states. Applications to Appalachian coal, Wyoming trona, or Wyoming uranium operations also count. Use Wyoming Workforce Center in Gillette for referrals and their jobs.wyo.gov listings. Three documented, specific contacts per week from a thin local market means broadening your geographic and industry scope — document each one specifically in Wyoming UI Claims.
- Do LinkedIn applications count toward my Wyoming UI Claims work search?
- Yes. Online applications through LinkedIn, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, jobs.wyo.gov, or any other job platform count as valid work search contacts under Wyoming Department of Workforce Services's standards. When logging them in Wyoming UI Claims, use the specific employer name (the company posting the job, not "LinkedIn"), the position title, the date you applied, and "applied via LinkedIn" as the method. An entry like "Applied to Sinclair Oil Corporation for Refinery Maintenance Technician via LinkedIn on March 12" passes an audit; "Applied online" does not. Wyoming Department of Workforce Services auditors want to be able to verify contacts — a specific employer and position lets them do that.
- Wyoming Department of Workforce Services sent me a work search audit letter. What do I need to provide?
- Respond before the deadline in the audit letter. Gather your work search records for every week being audited: employer names, dates, positions, and methods. For online applications: check your email for application confirmation messages and your Indeed/LinkedIn application history. For Wyoming Workforce Center contacts: those are logged in Wyoming's system. For phone inquiries: write a contemporaneous description of who you spoke with and what was discussed. For in-person employer visits: describe the date, location, position, and any staff contact. Organize everything by week and provide it to Wyoming Department of Workforce Services with a cover letter explaining your search activities. Wyoming's smaller system means audit reviews tend to resolve faster than in larger states — act promptly and provide as much documentation as you have.
- I was offered a full-time retail job in Casper while collecting Wyoming UI from my energy job. Do I have to take it?
- Wyoming law requires accepting "suitable work," and the determination of whether retail is suitable for an energy worker depends on multiple factors: your prior wage, your skills, the distance from home, and the similarity to your prior occupation. A retail position at minimum wage when you earned $35/hour in energy services is unlikely to be "suitable work" under Wyoming's standards — particularly early in your benefit period when Wyoming Department of Workforce Services gives more weight to your prior wage and occupation. Report the refusal honestly in Wyoming UI Claims and be prepared to explain your reasons. Wyoming Department of Workforce Services evaluates refusals individually. Never answer "no" to receiving an offer when you did — that's a false certification, which creates an overpayment and potential fraud charge regardless of the offer's suitability.
- I'm looking for work in both Gillette and in Texas energy markets while on Wyoming UI. Do my Texas applications count as Wyoming work search contacts?
- Yes — if you're genuinely willing to work in Texas or relocate for the right energy opportunity, Texas employer contacts count as valid Wyoming work search activities. Wyoming Department of Workforce Services recognizes that its energy workforce has always crossed state lines when Wyoming production slows. Log Texas contacts in Wyoming UI Claims specifically: Texas company name, position, date, application method. Your availability for and willingness to accept out-of-state work is a factor Wyoming Department of Workforce Services may ask about — be consistent in your Wyoming UI Claims answers if the portal asks about your availability for work in your current area. Being "available for Wyoming work" doesn't prevent you from also applying in Texas if you'd genuinely accept an offer there.