Washington ESD unemployment benefits when job opportunities don't exist in my area - which of the following best describes locational unemployment?

Locational unemployment refers to unemployment that occurs when there's a mismatch between where jobs are available and where workers are located. In your case, the accounting jobs exist in urban areas but you're in a rural location. This is a recognized economic concept and shouldn't affect your Washington ESD benefits as long as you're meeting the job search requirements within reasonable commuting distance.

I had this exact problem last year! Rural eastern Washington here and my field is IT. Most jobs were in the Seattle metro area. What helped me was expanding my search to include remote work opportunities and related fields. Washington ESD accepted these as valid job search activities.

For anyone struggling to reach Washington ESD agents about job search requirement questions, I recently found claimyr.com which actually gets you connected to real agents without the endless hold times. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works. Saved me hours of frustration trying to get clarification on my specific situation.

locational unemployment is definitely a thing but dont let washington esd use it as an excuse to deny benefits. i know people who got disqualified because they said there were jobs available even if they were 2 hours away. document everything!

This is actually one of the definitions you might see on an economics test: Locational unemployment occurs when there are job opportunities in the economy but they're not in the same geographic area as the unemployed workers. It's also called geographical unemployment sometimes.

Been dealing with Washington ESD for 6 months now and they definitely understand rural employment challenges. When I explained my situation during adjudication, they were reasonable about the job search requirements. Just be honest about your limitations and document your efforts.

The job search requirement for Washington ESD is 3 job contacts per week minimum. For rural areas, they usually accept a mix of local applications, remote work applications, and applications within reasonable commuting distance. Don't stress too much about the locational aspect - focus on showing genuine effort to find work.

ugh this whole system is so frustrating. why should we have to justify living in rural areas?? jobs should be available everywhere not just in big cities. washington esd acts like we chose to be unemployed

For what it's worth, remote work has made locational unemployment less of an issue in many fields. Accounting especially has tons of remote opportunities now. Check out FlexJobs, Remote.co, and We Work Remotely in addition to the usual job boards.

Just wanted to add that if you're having trouble with your job search requirements or need clarification on what counts, that Claimyr thing really does work. I was able to speak with a Washington ESD representative who explained exactly what they needed for my rural situation. Worth checking out if you're stuck.

I think I'm in a similar situation but with healthcare jobs. Rural hospitals are cutting staff but all the openings are in Tacoma/Seattle area. Been approved for benefits for 2 months now and no issues with job search documentation so far.

Quick question - does anyone know if Washington ESD considers gig work as a job search activity? Like applying to be an Uber driver or DoorDash? Asking for a friend who's in a really rural area with limited options.

From an economics perspective, locational unemployment is one of several types of unemployment that exist even in a healthy economy. It's not a personal failing - it's a structural issue where labor markets aren't perfectly mobile. Washington ESD understands this concept even if they don't always use the academic terminology.

might be worth looking into retraining programs through WorkSource Washington if your field really has limited local opportunities. sometimes washington esd approves training that can help with locational unemployment issues

Been following this thread and wanted to share that I successfully explained my locational constraints to Washington ESD during a phone interview. Key was being specific about why relocation wasn't possible (elderly parent care in my case) and showing I was maximizing job search within my constraints.

Just to close the loop on the original question - locational unemployment is when workers and jobs are in different geographic areas. It's a recognized economic phenomenon and Washington ESD won't penalize you for it as long as you're meeting job search requirements within reason. Keep documenting your efforts and you should be fine.