What happens if you turn down a job while on unemployment - NYS Department of Labor consequences?
I've been getting UI benefits for about 6 weeks now and yesterday I got called for an interview at this warehouse job that pays $13/hour. The thing is, my last job was in retail management making $18/hour and this warehouse position would be a huge step backwards career-wise. I'm worried about turning it down though because I don't know what the NYS Department of Labor rules are about refusing job offers. Will they cut off my benefits if I say no to this? The job also doesn't match my experience at all - I have zero warehouse background. Anyone know what actually happens when you decline a job offer while collecting unemployment?
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Tristan Carpenter
You can refuse unsuitable work and still keep your benefits. NYS Department of Labor considers several factors when determining if work is suitable - pay compared to your previous job, your skills and experience, commuting distance, and working conditions. A $5/hour pay cut from retail management to warehouse work could definitely be considered unsuitable, especially early in your claim period.
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Maya Jackson
•That's really helpful! How early in the claim period are we talking? Like does the pay requirement change after a certain number of weeks?
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Amaya Watson
yeah but be careful because they do investigate this stuff sometimes. i turned down a job that was paying way less than my old one and never heard anything about it but my friend got questioned
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Grant Vikers
•The key is documenting your reasons. If NYS Department of Labor does ask, you need to show why the job was unsuitable. Keep records of the job offer details, your previous salary, and your reasoning for declining.
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Giovanni Martello
Wait, I'm confused about this too! I thought you HAD to take any job offer or they'd stop your unemployment? I've been so stressed about this exact situation. Does anyone know where to find the actual NYS Department of Labor rules about what counts as suitable work??
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Tristan Carpenter
•That's a common misconception. NYS Department of Labor has specific guidelines about suitable work. Generally, in the first few weeks of your claim, you can refuse work that pays significantly less than your previous job or doesn't match your skills and experience.
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Giovanni Martello
•Oh thank god! I was literally having panic attacks thinking I'd have to take anything that came along.
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Savannah Weiner
I had a similar situation where I couldn't get through to NYS Department of Labor to ask about this directly. Ended up using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to a real person at the unemployment office. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. The agent I spoke with explained the suitable work rules in detail and it really put my mind at ease about declining inappropriate job offers.
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Amaya Watson
•never heard of that before, does it actually work? calling the regular number is such a nightmare
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Savannah Weiner
•Yeah it worked for me! Got through in like 20 minutes instead of spending hours trying to call myself.
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Levi Parker
ugh the whole system is so confusing! I declined a job last month because it required me to work nights and I have kids at home but now I'm paranoid they're gonna find out somehow and cut me off
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Grant Vikers
•Childcare conflicts are actually a valid reason to refuse work under NYS Department of Labor guidelines. You should be fine, but if you're worried, you can always contact them proactively to explain the situation.
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Libby Hassan
From what I understand, the general rule is that you don't have to accept work that pays less than 80% of your previous wage in the first few weeks of unemployment. But honestly, the NYS Department of Labor website is so hard to navigate that I can never find the exact details when I need them.
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Aisha Patel
•I think you're right about the 80% rule! I've been searching for the exact NYS Department of Labor guidelines too and it's like they hide this information on purpose. Maya, based on what everyone's saying here, it sounds like you're well within your rights to turn down that warehouse job - $13/hour is way below 80% of your $18/hour retail management salary. Plus the complete lack of relevant experience makes it even more unsuitable.
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