How low is unemployment rate affecting NYS Department of Labor weekly claim requirements?

The unemployment rate doesn't directly change your weekly claim requirements, but NYS Department of Labor does adjust their enforcement based on labor market conditions. If you're on standby status, you still need to meet the able and available requirements. Keep documenting your employer contact and any job search activities just in case they audit your claim.

I work in workforce development and can tell you that when unemployment is low, NYS Department of Labor does tend to scrutinize claims more closely. They figure there are more jobs available so claimants should be finding work faster. Your standby status should protect you somewhat, but document everything with your employer - dates of contact, what they told you about returning, etc.

ugh the whole system is rigged anyway, they'll find any excuse to cut people off when times are good

I had trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor agents to clarify my job search requirements when the unemployment rate dropped last year. Kept getting busy signals and disconnected calls. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual person in like 10 minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Really helped me understand what I needed to do to stay compliant.

I think you're overthinking this. If your employer put you on standby then you're good. I was on standby for like 3 months and never had any issues.

Actually the bigger issue is that when unemployment is low, they sometimes reduce the maximum benefit duration or tighten eligibility rules. I went through this in 2019 when the rate was around 3.5%. Had to appeal a disqualification because they said I wasn't making enough effort to find work even though I was following all the rules.