How does NYS Department of Labor know if you refuse a job offer - worried about losing benefits

Yes, employers can and do report job refusals to NYS Department of Labor. When you refuse a job offer, the employer has the option to notify the unemployment office, especially if they think the refusal was unreasonable. However, you're not required to accept just any job - it has to be 'suitable work' according to NYS Department of Labor guidelines. Suitable work generally means it's in your usual occupation or related field, pays at least 80% of your previous wage (after the first few weeks), and matches your skills and experience.

i turned down a job last month that was paying minimum wage when i was making $25/hour before. never heard anything from NYS Department of Labor about it so maybe the employer didnt report it? but honestly i was scared they would find out somehow

The key thing is documenting why you refused the job. If NYS Department of Labor does investigate, you'll need to show it wasn't suitable work. Keep records of the job offer details - pay rate, job duties, location, etc. Also make sure you're still actively looking for work and logging your job search activities. You can refuse unsuitable jobs, but you can't just be picky about everything.

Ugh the whole system is so stressful! They expect you to take any garbage job just to get off unemployment. I've been dealing with NYS Department of Labor for months and they make everything so complicated. You should definitely refuse that job if it's not suitable but be prepared to fight them on it if they come after you.

I was in a similar situation a few months ago where I kept getting calls from NYS Department of Labor asking about job contacts and refusals. Couldn't get through to anyone to explain my situation properly - their phone lines are impossible. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that connects you directly to actual NYS Department of Labor agents by phone. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Was able to talk to someone within an hour and got everything straightened out regarding what constitutes suitable work in my case.

Just make sure you're following all the job search requirements! You need to be making at least 3 job contacts per week and keeping detailed records. Refusing one unsuitable job won't hurt you as long as you're actively looking for appropriate work in your field.

You're absolutely right to be cautious about this! I was in a similar situation earlier this year and ended up refusing a job that was completely unrelated to my background (they wanted me to do manual labor when I'm a graphic designer). I documented everything - the job description, pay rate, and why it wasn't suitable work for me. NYS Department of Labor did follow up about 2 weeks later asking for details, but once I explained the situation and showed my documentation, they agreed it wasn't suitable and my benefits continued without any issues. The key is being able to justify why the job doesn't meet the "suitable work" criteria. Keep looking for jobs in your field and document your search - you'll be fine!

Don't stress too much about it! The NYS Department of Labor actually has pretty clear guidelines about what constitutes "suitable work" and it sounds like this job offer wouldn't meet those standards. Since you mentioned it's completely outside your field and pays way below your previous wage, you're probably safe to refuse it. Just make sure you document everything - save the job offer details, note the pay rate and job duties, and write down your reasons for refusing. Also keep up with your regular job search activities and log them properly. I refused a similar unsuitable job about 3 months ago and never had any issues with my benefits. The most important thing is that you're actively looking for work in your field and can show you're making a genuine effort. You're not required to take just any job that comes along!

I went through this exact situation about 4 months ago! Got a job offer that was paying almost half what I made before and was completely different work (they wanted me in a warehouse when I had been doing office administration). I was terrified about refusing it but after reading through the NYS Department of Labor guidelines, I realized it definitely didn't qualify as "suitable work." I documented everything - screenshots of the job posting, the email with the offer details, and wrote up my reasons for why it wasn't suitable. Never heard a peep from NYS Department of Labor about it. The key is that you're protected from having to take jobs that are significantly below your skill level or pay grade, especially in the first few months of unemployment. Just keep doing your job search requirements and focus on finding something actually appropriate for your background. You've got this!

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now and this thread has been so helpful! I've been on unemployment for about 8 weeks and just got offered a job that's paying $15/hour when I was making $28/hour in my previous marketing role. The new job is basically data entry which has nothing to do with my background. Reading everyone's experiences here makes me feel much more confident about refusing it. I'm definitely going to document everything like you all suggested - save the job posting, the offer email, and write down all my reasons why it's not suitable work. It's scary because you never know if NYS Department of Labor will come after you, but it sounds like as long as you can justify your refusal and keep up with your job search requirements, you should be okay. Thanks everyone for sharing your stories - it really helps to know we're not alone in dealing with this stress!

I was in almost this exact situation about 2 months ago! Got offered a customer service job paying $12/hour when I had been making $22/hour as a software tester. The anxiety about refusing it was real, but I'm so glad I did. I documented everything - saved the job posting, took screenshots of the offer email, and wrote down why it wasn't suitable (way below previous pay, completely different field, no use of my technical skills). NYS Department of Labor never contacted me about it at all. The thing that helped me most was reading through their actual guidelines on suitable work - they're pretty clear that you don't have to take jobs that are significantly below your skill level or previous wage, especially in the first few months. Just keep doing your weekly certifications, log your job search activities properly, and focus on finding something actually appropriate for your accounting background. The system is designed to help you find good employment, not force you into any random job. You're doing the right thing by being cautious and asking questions!

I've been through this exact scenario and completely understand your anxiety! Last year I refused a job offer that was paying $14/hour when I had been making $24/hour as an administrative assistant - the new job was in food service which had nothing to do with my office experience. I was terrified about losing my benefits, but I documented everything carefully (saved the job posting, offer details, and wrote out why it wasn't suitable work). NYS Department of Labor did contact me about 3 weeks later asking for details, but when I explained the situation and provided my documentation showing the huge pay cut and different field, they agreed it wasn't suitable work and my benefits continued without any issues. The most important thing is that you can clearly show why the job doesn't meet the "suitable work" criteria - in your case, retail vs accounting and only 60% of your previous pay are both strong grounds for refusal. Just keep up with your job search requirements, focus on accounting positions, and document everything. You're absolutely making the right choice by refusing an unsuitable job offer!

I completely understand your anxiety about this situation! I went through something very similar about 6 months ago when I was offered a retail position paying $13/hour after losing my bookkeeping job that paid $21/hour. The stress of potentially losing benefits versus taking an unsuitable job is really overwhelming. What helped me was calling NYS Department of Labor directly to ask about their suitable work guidelines - they explained that jobs need to be reasonably related to your skills and experience, and typically should pay at least 80% of your previous wage (especially in the first few months of unemployment). Your situation with retail vs accounting and only 60% of previous pay definitely sounds like it would qualify as unsuitable work. I ended up refusing the retail job, documented everything thoroughly (job posting, offer details, reasons for refusal), and never had any issues with my benefits. The key is continuing your active job search in your actual field and keeping good records. Don't let them pressure you into taking a job that's completely wrong for your career - that's exactly what the suitable work protections are designed to prevent!

I've been following this thread and wanted to add my own experience since I went through this exact situation about 3 months ago! I was offered a warehouse job paying $16/hour when I had been making $26/hour as a graphic designer. The anxiety about refusing was intense because you always hear horror stories about people losing their benefits, but I'm so glad I trusted my instincts. I saved everything - the job posting, email offer, and wrote a detailed explanation of why it wasn't suitable work (completely different field, major pay cut, no use of my design skills). NYS Department of Labor never even contacted me about it. What really helped was focusing on the fact that the suitable work guidelines exist for a reason - they don't want to force people into jobs that are completely wrong for their career path. Your accounting background is specialized, and retail work at 60% of your previous pay is clearly not suitable. Keep documenting your job search efforts in accounting and don't feel guilty about refusing something that's genuinely not right for you. The system is actually designed to support you finding appropriate work, not just any work!

I've been in this exact situation and I totally get your anxiety! About 4 months ago I was offered a job in retail management paying $14/hour when I had been making $23/hour as a financial analyst. The thought of refusing and potentially losing benefits was terrifying, but after doing research on NYS Department of Labor's suitable work guidelines, I realized I had legitimate grounds to refuse. The job was completely outside my field and paid way below the 80% threshold they typically use. I documented everything - saved the job posting, the offer email, and wrote detailed notes about why it wasn't suitable (wrong field, major pay cut, no use of my analytical skills). I never heard from NYS Department of Labor about it at all. Your situation with retail vs accounting at only 60% of previous pay sounds like it clearly falls outside suitable work guidelines. Just make sure you keep up with your regular job search activities in accounting and document everything about this offer. Don't let anxiety push you into taking a job that's genuinely wrong for your career path - the protections exist for exactly these situations!

I went through this exact same worry about 5 months ago! I was offered a job at a call center paying $12/hour when I had been making $25/hour as a project coordinator. The fear of losing benefits was keeping me up at night, but I'm so glad I refused it. The job was completely unrelated to my experience and paid less than half what I was making. I documented everything - screenshots of the job posting, the offer email, and detailed notes explaining why it wasn't suitable work (wrong industry, massive pay cut, no use of my coordination and management skills). NYS Department of Labor never contacted me about it at all. Your retail vs accounting situation at only 60% of previous pay definitely sounds like it would qualify as unsuitable work under their guidelines. The key is that you're protected from having to take jobs that are significantly below your skill level or in completely different fields, especially this early in your unemployment. Just keep focusing your job search on accounting positions, document this offer thoroughly, and don't feel guilty about refusing something that's genuinely not right for your career. The suitable work protections exist exactly for situations like yours!

I completely understand your concerns - I was in almost the exact same situation about 2 months ago! I received a job offer for a cashier position paying $11/hour when I had been working as an accountant making $24/hour. The anxiety about potentially losing my benefits was overwhelming, but after reading through the NYS Department of Labor guidelines on suitable work, I realized I had solid grounds to refuse. The job was completely outside my field and paid less than 50% of my previous wage, which definitely doesn't meet their suitability criteria. I documented everything carefully - saved the job posting, took screenshots of the offer email, and wrote detailed notes explaining why it wasn't suitable work (wrong field, massive pay cut, no use of my accounting skills and education). I never heard anything from NYS Department of Labor about it. Your situation sounds very similar - retail work when you're an accountant, and only 60% of your previous pay is clearly not suitable work. Just make sure you keep up with your weekly certifications, continue actively searching for accounting positions, and document this offer thoroughly in case they ever ask. Don't let fear push you into taking a job that would actually hurt your career progression - the suitable work protections exist for exactly these situations!

I've been through this exact situation and completely understand your stress! About 7 months ago I was offered a job in food service paying $13/hour when I had been making $26/hour as a tax preparer. The anxiety about refusing and potentially losing benefits was intense, but I'm so glad I stuck to my guns. The job was completely unrelated to my accounting background and paid exactly half of what I was making - clearly not suitable work under NYS Department of Labor guidelines. I documented everything thoroughly - saved the job posting, screenshots of the offer email, and wrote detailed notes about why it wasn't suitable (wrong field, 50% pay cut, no use of my tax and accounting expertise). I never heard a single word from NYS Department of Labor about it. Your retail vs accounting situation at only 60% of previous pay definitely qualifies as unsuitable work. The key thing that helped me was realizing that these protections exist specifically to prevent people from being forced into jobs that would damage their career trajectory. Keep focusing your search on accounting positions, document everything about this offer, and don't let anyone pressure you into taking work that's genuinely wrong for your professional background. You've got legitimate grounds to refuse and the system is designed to support you finding appropriate employment, not just any job!