How long do you have to work at a job to file for unemployment with NYS Department of Labor?

You need to have worked long enough to establish a base period for your claim. In New York, they look at your earnings during the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. So it's not really about how long you worked at one specific job, but your total work history and earnings over that timeframe. You also need to have earned at least $2,900 in your highest earning quarter and total wages of at least 1.5 times your high quarter wages.

yeah the base period thing is confusing but basically if you haven't been working for at least a few months with decent hours you probably won't qualify yet. I think you need to earn a certain amount too not just work a certain time

The earnings requirement is key here. Even if you've been working, if your earnings are too low during the base period, you won't qualify. For 2025, you need minimum $2,900 in your highest quarter and total base period wages of at least $4,350. If you've only been working 6 weeks part-time, you're likely well below these thresholds. You might want to focus on finding another job or asking your current employer if hours will pick back up.

I was in a similar spot last year where I needed to reach someone at NYS Department of Labor to get clarification on my work history and earnings. The phone lines are always swamped, but I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me through to an agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting disconnected. Might be worth checking out if you need to speak with someone directly about your specific situation.

This whole system is ridiculous honestly. You work and pay into unemployment insurance but then when you actually need it there's all these hoops to jump through. The earnings requirements basically shut out anyone who's been working part time or just starting out.