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Can I Collect Unemployment After a Temp Job Ends?

Can you collect unemployment if a project ended.

Doing temp work is a common way to make ends meet when you are between jobs. In most states, once you register to work through a temp agency, that agency becomes your employer of record. The agency is responsible for finding you regular job assignments. Unfortunately, there are some things the temp agency may not tell you when it comes to collecting unemployment benefits. For this reason, it's important to educate yourself before accepting a temporary assignment.

Yes, You Can

If the agency fails to find you another assignment, it is possible to collect unemployment benefits after your last assignment ends. You can also collect unemployment while working the temp job, depending upon the amount you are paid for the temp assignment. Most state unemployment security commissions have unemployment benefits calculators that allow you to calculate how much you qualify to receive while working your temp job.

The Determining Factor

There are factors that can prevent you from collecting unemployment benefits, including whether you quit your job. With temp jobs, this test is tricky, because you can be labeled a job quitter and not know it. The secret is that you must continually call the agency to see if temp assignments are available. If you neglect to call daily, the agency can say you quit. As such, make it your duty to call every single day to ask whether a job assignment is available. Keep a paper trail by documenting the date and time you called, as well as the person you spoke with. This documentation comes in handy if the agency tells the unemployment office you failed to call in.

Don't Wait Too Long

Unemployment benefits are calculated based on the amount of wages you earn during the 12 to 15 month period leading up to your unemployment. This period of time is referred to as your “base period.” It's important to keep regular job assignments during the base period. As soon as the assignments become irregular, file for unemployment. If you wait too long, it lowers the amount of money earned in your base period, which may disqualify you from receiving benefits.

Word of Caution

There are instances where an individual may collect unemployment before working a temp job and receive reduced benefits after working a temp job. For instance, you may receive $400 per week before working with the temp agency and only receive $150 per week afterward. That's a major reduction in benefits. To prevent this from happening, only accept temporary job assignments that have compensation comparable to your last steady job. If you take a lower paying job, the wages from that job will be calculated as base period wages. The good news is that the unemployment office only requires you to accept “suitable work.” Suitable work includes job assignments that are not illegal and that have wages equal or comparable to the previous job you lost. If the unemployment office asks why you turned down an assignment, explain how the assignment was “unsuitable.”

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• National Employment Law Project: Temp Work & Unemployment Insurance
• ABC 7 News: Temp Job Could Cost You Unemployment Benefits
• The Legal Aid Society: Unemployment Insurance – Temporary Workers

Faizah Imani, an educator, minister and published author, has worked with clients such as Harrison House Author, Thomas Weeks III, Candle Of Prayer Company and "Truth & Church Magazine." Her dossier includes JaZaMM WebDesigns, assistant high-school band director, district manager for the Clarion Ledger and event coordinator for the Vicksburg Convention Center.

How to Qualify for Unemployment Having Worked a Temporary Job

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Can You Draw Unemployment if You Are Not Living in the State Where You Were Laid Off?

Do unemployment benefits start over each year, can i file for unemployment for being laid off from a second job.

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Whether you were hired as a temporary employee or as a permanent employee doesn't affect your right to unemployment compensation. The same qualifications for unemployment compensation apply equally to both conditions. Other factors related to temporary employment, however, may make a difference between being eligible for unemployment compensation or not. Either way, determining whether you qualify can be complicated.

Temporary or Permanent: Does It Matter?

Here are two different employment situations:

• You're hired by XYZ corporation to fill in during the Christmas rush. Things go well for you at the company, and it keeps you on for a few weeks into January to help handle returns, but by the end of January, you are let go. You've worked a total of 11 weeks.
• You're hired by ABC corporation to be an assistant manager. The position is permanent. Nevertheless, the economy slumps and ABC lays off its recent hires. You've worked a total of 11 weeks. 

In these two situations, whether you qualify for unemployment compensation depends upon several factors – none of them having to do with whether you were hired as a permanent employee or a temp. The length of time you worked does bear on your eligibility, but it's only one of several factors. In some circumstances, if you're unemployed after 11 weeks, you're eligible for unemployment compensation. In other circumstances, you aren't. Eligibility depends on several factors that include the state you work in, your work history over a base period, how much you earned during that base period, and why you're no longer employed.

General Rules That Do and Don't Apply

It is useful to know the general rules for eligibility, but each state has so many unique requirements that making useful generalizations is difficult. At some point, to understand whether or not you're eligible, you'll need to read the eligibility rules for the state you work in. However, it helps to know the basic relevant considerations. The most important of them is the concept of a base year.

The Base Year

Every state requires that to be eligible for unemployment you have to have worked a minimum length of time in the base year. The base year is the employment year that qualifies you for unemployment. You can figure out your base year by picking up a calendar and counting backward five complete quarters from the day you became unemployed. Let's say you're unemployed on September 15, 2017, in the middle of the third quarter that runs from July 1 through September. Since you're counting complete quarters only, you ignore the third quarter and begin counting back for five quarters, beginning with the second quarter of 2017_._ Five quarters takes you back to the first quarter of 2016. That's where your base year begins. Now you count forward four quarters. Your base year ends on the last day of the fourth quarter of 2016.

Every subsequent qualification for unemployment compensation has to do with the base year: how much you earned and how long you worked during the base year and some additional twists and turns that apply in some states and not in others.

How Much of the Time Were You Employed in the Base Year?

Most states – but not all – base eligibility on the number of quarters you were employed in the base year. Texas, which is typical in this regard, requires that you worked in at least two quarters of the base year. Most states that determine eligibility by length of time worked have the same two-quarter requirement. However, not all states base eligibility on the length of time worked in the base year and among those that do, the majority impose other requirements as well. Washington State, for example, requires that you have worked a total of 680 hours during the base year; which quarter or quarters you worked them in doesn't matter.

How Much Did You Earn in the Base Year? 

Here's where it starts to get complicated. Washington State requires that in your highest earning quarter of the base year, you earned at least $1,300 or alternatively that in your highest earning quarter you earned at least $900 and that your total earnings for the year were at least 1.25 times your highest quarter earnings.

In Texas, your earnings during the base year must be at least 37 times your weekly benefit. That benefit, in turn, is the total you earned in your highest earnings quarter divided by 25. Each state has its own rules. To find the specific requirements for your state, do an internet search for "[Your State] unemployment compensation qualifications" or "[Your State] unemployment insurance benefits." One or both of these queries will get you the info you need.

Other Qualifications

Other qualifications are relatively straightforward. If you voluntarily quit your job, you're ineligible for benefits unless you can show you quit for "good cause." For example, if you were sexually harassed by a supervisor, most states would consider that good cause. Even so, since good cause is defined differently in each state, the only way to know for sure is to read your state's unemployment regulations.

If you were fired arbitrarily because your supervisor didn't like you, you're probably eligible. If you were guilty of minor misconduct that another employee who was not fired was also guilty of, you may or may not be eligible for benefits. Eligibility in situations like this may eventually be determined in an Unemployment Compensation Board hearing where you and your former employer must appear and testify.

If you were fired for gross misconduct, you're probably not eligible. If you were fired for negligence, whether you're eligible for benefits will depend upon whether the negligence was deliberate. "Deliberate" in this context is a legal term and is another area where the final determination of your eligibility may be determined in an Unemployment Compensation Board hearing.

• National Employment Law Project: Temp Work and Employment Insurance
• Beacon Hill Staffing: How to File for Unemployment
• Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs: Frequently Asked Questions
• Employment Security Department of Washington State: Calculate Your Benefit
• SHRM: Unemployment Compensation
• NOLO: Collecting Unemployment Benefits in Texas
• NOLO: Unemployment Benefits: What If You Quit?

I am a retired Registered Investment Advisor with 12 years experience as head of an investment management firm. I also have a Ph.D. in English and have written more than 4,000 articles for regional and national publications.

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Unemployment benefits

Unemployment insurance pays you money if you lose your job through no fault of your own. Learn how to apply and where to find eligibility rules.

There is not a federal unemployment program. Each state manages its own unemployment insurance program and pays benefits.

How to apply for unemployment benefits

Select your state on this map to learn how to file for unemployment .

If you live and worked in different states, file for unemployment in the state where you worked.

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States set eligibility rules for unemployment benefits. Select your state on this map to find the eligibility rules for unemployment benefits . When deciding if you get benefits, many states require that you:

• Earned at least a certain amount within the last 12-24 months
• Worked consistently for the last 12-24 months
• Look for a new job 

Learn how to keep your health coverage temporarily

COBRA, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, lets qualified workers keep their group health insurance for a limited time after a change in eligibility. Visit USAGov’s page on COBRA insurance .

Protect yourself from unemployment scams

Scammers are filing unemployment benefits using other people's names and personal information.  Visit the unemployment scams page and learn how to protect yourself and your benefits from this type of identity theft.

Find more government programs that can help during tough financial times.

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LAST UPDATED: May 26, 2023

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If you've lost your job, you have certain rights, such as the right to continue your health care coverage and, in some cases, the right to unemployment compensation.

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• Upon termination of employment, some workers and their families who might otherwise lose their health benefits have the right to choose to continue group health benefits provided by their group health plan for limited periods of time.
• Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA)
• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) .
• For information on health insurance coverage under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) upon termination, see 29 CFR 825.209(f) .

Unemployment Benefits

• Workers who are unemployed through no fault of their own (as determined under state law), and meet other eligibility requirements, may be eligible to receive unemployment benefits.
• Unemployment insurance payments (benefits) are intended to provide temporary financial assistance to unemployed workers who meet the requirements of state law.
• Under the Federal-State Unemployment Insurance Program , each state administers a separate unemployment insurance program within guidelines established by federal law. See Unemployment Insurance .

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• In general, if the reason for termination is not because of discrimination on these bases, or because of the employee's protected status as a whistleblower, or because they were involved in a complaint filed under one of the laws enforced by the Department of Labor (see Whistleblower and Non-Retaliation Protections ), then the termination is subject only to any private contract between the employer and employee or a labor contract between the employer and those covered by the labor contract.

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• Protecting the employment rights of veterans is a responsibility of DOL's VETS. VETS protects service members' reemployment rights when they are returning from a period of service through its administration of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) .

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New COVID-19 Unemployment Benefits: Answering Common Questions

In March 2020, the president signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which provided Americans with new and expanded unemployment insurance (UI) benefits if they’re out of work for reasons related to the pandemic. These benefits were recently updated and extended when the Continued Assistance for Unemployed Workers Act of 2020 (Continued Assistance Act) was signed into law by President Trump on Dec. 27, 2020. The Continued Assistance Act also included a one-time $600 stimulus payment for qualified individuals; however, that payment is not an unemployment benefit and is administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Here are answers to questions about the unemployment insurance benefits in the new law.

How does the Continued Assistance Act affect unemployment benefits?

* minus the weeks you received regular unemployment benefits and extended benefits

If you are receiving unemployment benefits [state or federal regular unemployment compensation, including Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE), Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Servicemembers (UCX), PEUC, PUA, Extended Benefits (EB), Short-Time Compensation (STC), Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA), Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA), or the Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEA)], you will receive an additional $300 per week as a supplemental amount to unemployment benefits for weeks of unemployment ending by March 14, 2021.

PUA still applies to self-employed workers, gig workers, independent contractors, and other people who don’t usually qualify for unemployment insurance. The PUA program is extended to March 14, 2021. If you receive PUA during the week ending March 14, 2021, have not exhausted all rights to PUA, and are otherwise eligible for PUA benefits, there is a transition period through weeks of unemployment that begin no later than April 5, 2021, for which PUA benefits are payable. No PUA is payable for any week of unemployment beginning after April 5, 2021. In addition, the maximum PUA eligibility has been extended from 39 weeks to 50 weeks (minus the weeks the individual received regular unemployment benefits and Extended Benefits).

Similarly, the PEUC program is extended to March 14, 2021. If you receive PEUC during the week ending March 14, 2021, have not exhausted all rights to PEUC, and are otherwise eligible for PEUC, there is a transition period through weeks of unemployment that begin no later than April 5, 2021, for which PEUC benefits are payable. No PEUC is payable for any week of unemployment beginning after April 5, 2021. In addition, the length of time an eligible individual can receive PEUC has been extended from 13 weeks to 24 weeks.

Note that individuals in states where the Extended Benefits program is available may receive up to 13 weeks of benefits — or up to 20 weeks of benefits if the state is in a high unemployment period — through the EB program. Contact your state unemployment insurance agency for more information .

How many weeks of unemployment insurance benefits am I entitled to?

The amount and duration of benefits you can receive also depends on the law in the state where you last worked . The state will determine your eligibility for any additional federal benefits. Contact your state unemployment insurance agency for more information .

Do I qualify for the additional $300 in federal benefits?

The additional $300/week in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation is available to claimants receiving unemployment benefits under the state or federal regular unemployment compensation programs (UCFE, UCX, PEUC, PUA, EB, STC, TRA, DUA, and SEA ). The funds are available for any weeks of unemployment beginning after Dec. 26, 2020, and ending on or before March 14, 2021. You don’t need to apply separately to receive this supplemental amount.

Are self-employed, independent contractor and gig workers eligible for assistance?

Self-employed workers, independent contractors, gig economy workers, and people who have not worked long enough to qualify for the other types of unemployment assistance may still qualify for PUA if they are otherwise able to work and available for work within the meaning of the applicable state law and certify that they are unemployed, partially unemployed or unable or unavailable to work for one of the following COVID-19 reasons:

• You have been diagnosed with COVID-19, or have symptoms, and are seeking a medical diagnosis.
• A member of your household has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
• You are caring for a family member of a member of your household who has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
• A child or other person in your household for whom you have primary caregiving responsibility is unable to attend school or another facility that is closed as a direct result of COVID-19 and the school or facility care is required for you to work.
• You cannot reach your job because of a quarantine imposed as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
• You cannot reach your job because you have been advised by a healthcare provider to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID-19.
• You were scheduled to start a new job and do not have a job or are unable to reach the job as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
• You’ve become the main source of income for a household because the head of the household has died as a direct result of COVID-19.
• You had to quit your job as a direct result of COVID-19.
• Your workplace is closed as a direct result of COVID-19.
• You are self-employed, have reportable income and have experienced a significant diminution of services because of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

States must first verify that these workers are not eligible for regular unemployment compensation or Extended Benefits under state or federal law or PEUC. Beginning on Jan. 26, 2021, states must also implement stricter identification verification measures for PUA applicants. Applicants will also be required to provide documentation substantiating employment or self-employment.

What can I do if somebody filed a fraudulent claim using my information?

Contact our Office of Inspector General to report claimant or employer fraud involving unemployment insurance:

Online : www.oig.dol.gov/hotline.htm

Phone : 1-800-347-3756

You can also contact the fraud office for the state where the claim was filed. Check this list to find contact information for your state unemployment insurance fraud office .

Can you help if my state office won’t answer the phone or hasn’t sent my money?

We recognize that a high volume of pandemic-related calls has overwhelmed some states’ call centers and websites, leading to delays. However, the federal government has no authority to intervene in individual claims for benefits, so you should contact the state unemployment insurance office handling your claim. You can locate state office information at www.dol.gov/uicontacts .

Find more information about  unemployment insurance generally  and more information about  unemployment insurance relief during the COVID-19 outbreak , including contact information for your state unemployment insurance office.

Jim Garner is the acting administrator of the Office of Unemployment Insurance in the U.S. Department of Labor’s  Employment and Training Administration .

• Unemployment Insurance
• Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation
• Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
• Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation
• Continued Assistance Act
• Employment and Training Administration (ETA)

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You may qualify for unemployment benefits even if you quit. Here's how.

The U.S. labor market "continues to come back to earth," an economist told USA TODAY this month, with 187,000 jobs added in August. Unemployment also rose in August to 3.8%, the highest since February 2022, because of a surge of Americans in the labor force.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, people meet the qualifications for unemployment in the BLS' Current Population Survey if they're waiting to start a new job and have made "at least one specific, active effort" to find one in the last four weeks. But when it comes to unemployment benefits, where does quitting put you?

Whether you've recently made the decision to leave a toxic workplace or are making a major life change, here's what an employment attorney has to say about your benefits status. 

Can you get unemployment if you quit?

Generally, unemployment insurance is only available only to those who lost their job through no fault of their own, USAGov states. This can sometimes refer to layoffs or company downsizing. 

But according to National Employment Law Project staff attorney Jenna Gerry, there are ways to get unemployment if you quit. 

“The key to collecting unemployment insurance, and whether you're eligible to quit, is whether you had a good cause to quit that job,” Gerry told USA TODAY. “A lot of states will (ask), ‘Would a reasonable person in your situation have stayed at the job?’” 

These “good cause quits” vary from state to state. Some allow unemployment eligibility for domestic violence, harassment or sexual assault. 

The Unemployment Law Project lists these good cause categories that might land you eligible for unemployment:

• Accepted a new job
• Illness or disability of yourself or a family member
• Relocation with spouse as part of a mandatory military transfer
• Protection from domestic violence or stalking situation
• Worksite or commuting changes
• Worksite safety concerns
• Illegal activities in the workplace
• Change in work that violates religious convictions or moral beliefs

“If there are health and safety related violations at work and you reported them and your employer has done nothing about them, then in most places you are entitled to unemployment insurance for that reason,” Gerry says. 

With major layoffs at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. government enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act to expand state-to-state unemployment insurance. This change included workers who were not typically eligible for unemployment. COVID-19 extended unemployment benefits from the federal government are no longer active .

Ask HR: How to quit a job and what managers should do after layoffs

What are unemployment benefits?

“Employers pay into (unemployment insurance) on an employee's behalf,” Gerry says. “So

when they pay employees, they pay into this program that allows workers who are unemployed through no fault of their own to collect partial wage replacement, while they experience bouts of unemployment.”

Each state offers its own unemployment insurance program. Recipients of unemployment insurance must report their benefits as income on tax returns. 

There are also a variety of education and training programs offered for free or at a low cost. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act provides retraining funding for laid-off workers. The Trade Adjustment Assistance is for those whose job loss coincided with an increase in foreign imports or production outside of the U.S. The Dislocated Worker/Rapid Response program shares resources for job transition. 

Other unemployment benefit programs include disability insurance, compensation for illness or injury on the job and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. 

Unemployed individuals can also continue access to health benefits under COBRA, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act . According to the DOL, you are eligible for continuation coverage if you’re a qualified beneficiary, meaning you’re covered by a group health plan during or before the event of your job loss. 

How to apply for unemployment

You’ll need to apply for unemployment through your state . Many require you to file online, but some utilize mail-in applications or phone claims as well. 

You’re required to share the reason for your unemployment when filing your claim online. Gerry suggests choosing an “other” or write-in option that allows you to express that it was a good cause quit. Honesty is important on this application, Gerry stressed. 

It’s likely the office will reach out to get further information on the nature of your unemployment status. They also will notify your past employer that you’ve filed to confirm your reasoning. 

“If the reason your employer gives is different than the reason you gave on your initial application, that could potentially lead to an initial denial of benefits,” Gerry explains. “And in that case, then you would have to appeal to show that, no, this really was a good cause quit.” 

Above all, Gerry suggested applying for unemployment benefits even if you’re not sure you qualify. 

“There's no harm in applying and being denied, but there is if you just never apply,” she says.

Prep for the job interview: What's my biggest weakness? Strength? Goals?

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Can You Get Unemployment Benefits If You Quit Your Job? Here's What the Experts Say

Thinking about quitting your job? You may not be able to rely on unemployment checks—unless you meet certain requirements.

Hiranmayi has been a finance associate editor at Earned Media (part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family) supporting Investopedia and The Balance since February 2022. She joined Dotdash Meredith in March 2021 as a staff writer for the centralized finance desk, and wrote daily personal finance articles across several Meredith lifestyle brands including Real Simple, Better Homes & Gardens, Parents, and Health.

Unemployment assistance can be a valuable benefit to receive if you are between jobs, but the reason you're unemployed will determine whether you're eligible for those checks (i.e., a global pandemic). During the pandemic, about one in four workers depended on unemployment checks, according to data by think tank The Century Foundation, with federal aid providing $600 per week in addition to state UI benefits.

The pandemic has also changed the way Americans approach work; several industries have seen record numbers of employees quit in search of better pay and flexible hours . Better work life balance and compensation are certainly valid reasons for looking for a different job, but one thing to note: you likely won't be getting unemployment benefits if you quit voluntarily. "Workers should not count on receiving unemployment insurance benefits after they quit their jobs," says Nance L. Schick, an employment attorney and mediator in New York City.

However, there are some exceptions to the rule, if the reason qualifies as 'good cause.' Here's what you need to know about qualifying for unemployment if you quit your job.

You quit because of drastic changes in your workplace.

In order to receive unemployment benefits after quitting a job, you need to have 'good cause' for leaving. Generally, people who qualify for unemployment benefits need to leave a job through no fault of their own, such as getting fired or laid off. But there are some situations that can push you to quit a job, which could then make you eligible to get unemployment checks.

While the rules for what reasons qualify you can vary by state, most allow those who quit because of unsafe or hostile workplaces to receive UI payments. These reasons include "discrimination, unsafe working conditions, harassment, illegal activities, refusal to pay, dramatic change in job responsibilities, or reduction in hours that turn into part-time employment," says Anthony Martin, CEO of insurance agency, Choice Mutual .

To have the reason you're quitting be considered a good cause, you need to report it to your company. "When they ignore the issue, you have good cause to quit your job and potentially get unemployment," says Martin. "While harassment or discrimination can be exceptions to this, you can improve your chances of approval by getting proof by filing a formal complaint."

Circumstances that force you to quit your job can help you qualify for unemployment while you find another opportunity. You can check state-specific requirements for UI insurance on the Department of Labor's website for reasons your state allows.

You quit because of qualifying personal reasons.

There are also some personal reasons that could make you eligible for UI after quitting voluntarily. "Even a spouse getting a job offer in another state can be considered a good cause in some states," says Martin.

Quitting due to a medical reason such as a prolonged illness, injury, disability, or on your doctor's recommendation could also be acceptable—however, some states might only allow it if the injury was caused by the job. If you quit a job because of domestic violence or needing to care for a severely ill family member, you might be eligible for UI checks too.

Check your state's UI policy before quitting.

Because state laws vary on which reasons are considered good cause for quitting a job and being able to collect unemployment, it's a good idea to check what your state's rules are before you decide to quit. Once you do decide to quit, make sure you file for unemployment immediately after, because the approval time can take a while.

Still unsure if you qualify? Apply anyway, suggests Tina Hawk, senior vice president of HR at GoodHire . "Many others presume that their specific circumstances disqualifies them from receiving benefits, and in 99 percent of cases they're wrong," says Hawk. "On top of that, you may still be eligible for unemployment benefits even if you've previously been denied them."

If you do get denied, you can try to appeal your claim—"but you might have a tight deadline (e.g., 10 days) to appeal, depending on your state," says Martin.

If you're approved and start receiving unemployment checks, you will need to file a claim each week to continue getting payments, and show proof that you are actively looking for a new job.

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As layoffs pick up, here's what workers need to know about filing for unemployment benefits

• A wave of companies, including Amazon, Google and Spotify, have announced deep cuts to their head count, leaving former employees without a paycheck.
• Here's what they need to know about applying for unemployment benefits.

A wave of companies , including Amazon, Google and Spotify, have announced deep cuts to their head count, leaving former employees without a paycheck.

Fortunately, the unemployment insurance program, created in 1935 , offers support to certain people who have lost their job. The federal program is administered by states, and the rules vary based on where you live.

In a handful of states , employees and employers pay into the unemployment insurance program, said Michele Evermore , a senior fellow at The Century Foundation. In the bulk, only employers pay into the program, but it's a benefit workers have earned, she said.

As a result, she said, laid-off workers shouldn't be shy about applying for the aid.

More from Personal Finance: Tax season opens for individual filers on Jan. 23, says IRS Here are 3 key moves to make before the 2023 tax season opens IRS to start 2023 tax season stronger, taxpayer advocate says

How soon after a layoff can I apply for unemployment?

"As soon as you leave your job, you should be on your way to the unemployment insurance office," Evermore said.

In some states, it can take weeks for your claim to be approved, so the sooner you file the better.

While most states have a one-week waiting period before they can start paying you benefits, you don't have to wait to request the relief, Evermore said.

Where do I apply for unemployment?

Apply with your state unemployment office . You can typically submit an application online or over the phone.

Do I qualify for unemployment benefits?

Generally, to be eligible for unemployment benefits, you have to have been laid off through no fault of your own, Evermore said. Maybe the job just wasn't a good fit for you, or your company was downsizing.

But it doesn't hurt to apply even if you're unsure if you qualify, Evermore said. Many people prematurely exclude themselves from the program, she said: "There's a lot of mythology around who qualifies."

People may be surprised to learn, for example, that in some cases they can qualify for unemployment benefits even if they quit, Evermore explained.

For instance, in some states you're eligible for the benefit if you made the choice to leave your job after your employer asked you to transfer to a location where your commute would be too long, or if you had to leave your job because your partner's employment was relocated.

What are the requirements of the program?

To receive and keep receiving unemployment benefits, you have to be able to work and actively be seeking new employment, Evermore said.

States have different ways of making sure you're looking for work, she added. In some cases, you'll be responsible for keeping a log of work search efforts on your own, and in other states, you'll have to call in to the state unemployment office and share what jobs you've applied to on a regular basis.

"In some states you may also report work search online," Evermore added.

When you apply for benefits, make sure you learn about how to fulfil any requirements in your state.

Are unemployment benefits taxable?

Yes, Evermore said. The benefits are subject to federal taxes and most states take them, too.

When you start to get unemployment payments, your state will typically give you the option to have taxes withheld.

"I'd always take that option," Evermore said. "You could be in for a long spell of unemployment and then get hit with a big tax bill."

What is the typical weekly benefit?

In the third quarter of 2022, the average weekly unemployment benefit was around $385 . But there's a large range in the payments by state. For example, in Washington state, the benefit was nearly $600 during that period. In West Virginia, it was around $305.

There are other resources, too, for people struggling financially due to job loss, Evermore said.

"Unemployment insurance isn't the only program in the world," Evermore said, adding that out-of-work people can also try applying for food stamps and other aid.

How long can I get the benefit?

The standard duration for unemployment benefits is 26 weeks but that timeline varies by state.

For example, Missouri recently slashed its benefit duration and some workers may only receive payments for eight weeks there.

I received unemployment benefits during the pandemic. Could I qualify again?

It's possible, Evermore said.

Workers are typically eligible for unemployment benefits for a certain amount of weeks per benefit year. Depending on how long has passed since your last period of joblessness, and how many weeks you previously received the benefits, it's possible you could qualify again after a follow-up job loss for at least some more weeks and possibly another full duration.

I received severance pay. Will that affect my unemployment benefits?

In most states, if your layoff included severance pay, your unemployment benefits will likely be reduced for the period in which you're still receiving payments from your former employer.

But, again, that depends on your state. In some cases, your severance package will have no impact on your unemployment benefits, Evermore said.

Clarification: In a handful of states, employees and employers pay into the unemployment insurance program. In the bulk, generally employers only pay into the program, but it's a benefit workers have earned. An earlier version didn't draw that distinction.

• Search Search Please fill out this field.
• Career Planning
• Finding a Job
• Navigating Unemployment

Can You Collect Unemployment When You Quit Your Job?

Unemployment When You Quit Your Job

• What Is Good Cause?

Determining Your Eligibility for Unemployment Benefits

Appealing an unemployment claim denial, advice on quitting your job, frequently asked questions (faqs).

In most cases, if you quit your job voluntarily, you will not be eligible to collect unemployment benefits unless you quit for a good reason. But there are exceptions. If you quit for what is known as “good cause,” you may be eligible. Also, since unemployment programs are administered by states, your eligibility may vary depending on where you live.

Key Takeaways

• In general, eligibility for collecting unemployment benefits is based on losing your job through no fault of your own.
• Employees who quit for "good cause" may be eligible for unemployment.
• State department of labor offices administer unemployment benefit programs, and the unemployment website will have information on eligibility and filing a claim.
• If you are denied benefits, you have the right to file an appeal.

Unemployment benefits are intended to bridge the gap between one job and the next, providing workers with monetary payments until they find a new job—or at least, for a period of time determined by the state they live in.

Each state determines what constitutes good cause to quit.

These benefits are intended for workers who suffer an unexpected loss in income due to layoffs, or in some cases, due to being fired . In most cases, if you quit voluntarily, you are not eligible for these benefits. However, if you resign for good cause, you may be able to collect unemployment benefits.

The Balance

What Is Good Cause? 

There are many valid reasons to quit a job , such as a lack of advancement opportunities, poor hours, or tedious responsibilities, which do not meet the legal definition of "good cause."

In general, having good cause for resigning means there are unsolvable problems with the work, which leave an employee with no other options beyond quitting. Additionally, it needs to be documented that the employer was made aware of the situation, and made no effort to rectify it. Examples of good cause include the following:

• Unsafe work conditions
• Lack of payment
• Change in job duties
• Discrimination

Some types of family emergencies are also considered good cause.

Good cause is determined by your state unemployment office, and it varies from state to state. For instance, some states consider quitting due to a spouse's new out-of-state job as good cause, while others only consider that good cause if the move is due to a spouse's military transfer.

When you file for unemployment , you will be able to make a case for why you are eligible for unemployment benefits if the employer contests your claim. If your claim is denied, you should be entitled to a hearing where you can plead your case.

If you are planning to quit your job and you are not sure whether you're eligible, check with your state unemployment office to determine your eligibility for unemployment compensation prior to announcing your resignation. They can help you to assess your case for claiming good cause.

If you have filed an unemployment benefits claim and your claim is turned down or contested by your employer , you have the right to appeal the denial of your unemployment claim.

As with filing for unemployment generally, the appeals process differs depending on where you live. Consult your state department of labor or employment for guidelines on appealing your unemployment claim denial. Be prepared to collect supporting documentation, find witnesses, and continue filing for unemployment while you appeal. Also, be aware that timing is key: in some states, you have as little as 10 days in which to file your appeal. 

If you have questions about what your state regards as good cause, your state's unemployment office is the best resource.

While their websites have a great deal of information, a phone call is often the best way to get a clear and definitive answer to your questions.

Are you planning to resign from your job? There’s a right way and a wrong way to quit.

General guidelines for quitting include:

• Weigh your options before you quit. Evaluate your job to be sure that leaving is really in your best interests. Do you hate your job, for example, or just one aspect of it? Could small changes like telecommuting a few days a month make a difference, or are you ready to go? And do you have a plan for what comes next—a new job lined up or plenty of leads, plus enough money to sustain you during the transition?
• Give two weeks’ notice . Don’t burn your bridges on the way out. Giving the appropriate amount of notice will ensure that your employer is willing to give you a good reference, should you need one later on.
• Write a resignation letter . A formal resignation letter is still the best option when you leave a job. It’s good manners, and it prevents any confusion about your last day and other details of your departure.
• Observe the simple do's and don'ts of resigning . For instance, make sure to clean your computer and remove any personal documents before giving notice. It's also best to avoid bad-mouthing your co-workers or manager, or boasting about your next steps.

You never know when a prospective employer will conduct a reference check , so it's best to leave on as positive a note as possible.

How do you apply for unemployment insurance?

Unemployment benefits are paid by the state. You can file for unemployment benefits via your state department of labor's unemployment website. There will be information on eligibility for benefits, what you need to file a claim, and how much compensation you'll receive.

What can disqualify you from collecting unemployment?

In general, you need to have lost your job through no fault of your own to collect unemployment. Some circumstances that could disqualify you from receiving unemployment include the following: quitting, being fired for cause, insufficient earnings or length of employment, or providing false information when you file a claim. State laws vary, so check with your state unemployment office for the rules in your location.

U.S. Department of Labor. " How Do I File for Unemployment Insurance ?"

Department of Labor. " Benefit Denials ."

NOLO. " Unemployment Benefits: What If You Quit ?"

Department of Labor. " State Unemployment Insurance Benefits ."

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How Long Does Unemployment Last?

Find out how many weeks of federal and state unemployment benefits are available.

When you get approved for unemployment benefits , it can feel like a life preserver has been thrown to you – because it has. But, of course, the longer you go, floundering about in the water, that life preserver may start to feel like a dinghy with a hole in it. Because at some point, you start wondering, "How long does unemployment last?" and "At what point will my unemployment benefits end?"

(Getty Images)

It isn't a good feeling.

So if you're feeling uneasy these days about the future of your unemployment benefits, we'll walk you through what you can expect.

How Many Weeks of Regular State Unemployment Benefits Are Available?

"The period for collecting unemployment benefits varies by state but the maximum period for getting such benefits is 26 weeks," says David Clark, a lawyer and partner at the Clark Law Office, which has offices in Lansing and Okemos, Michigan.

How do the states stack up? See the list below. This is a list of regular state unemployment benefits and does not include additional benefits such as pandemic-related unemployment compensation.

• Alabama: 14 weeks
• Alaska: 26 weeks
• Arizona: 26 weeks
• Arkansas: 16 weeks
• California: 20 weeks
• Colorado: 26 weeks
• Connecticut: 26 weeks
• Delaware: 26 weeks
• District of Columbia: 26 weeks
• Florida: 19 weeks
• Georgia: 16 weeks
• Hawaii: 16 weeks
• Idaho: 21 weeks
• Illinois: 26 weeks
• Indiana: 26 weeks
• Iowa: 26 weeks
• Kansas: 26 weeks
• Kentucky: 26 weeks
• Louisiana: 26 weeks
• Maine: 26 weeks
• Maryland: 26 weeks
• Massachusetts: 26 weeks
• Michigan: 20 weeks
• Minnesota: 26 weeks
• Mississippi: 26 weeks
• Missouri: 20 weeks
• Montana: 28 weeks
• Nebraska: 26 weeks
• Nevada: 26 weeks
• New Hampshire: 26 weeks
• New Jersey: 26 weeks
• New Mexico: 26 weeks
• New York: 26 weeks
• North Carolina: 16 weeks
• North Dakota: 26 weeks
• Ohio: 26 weeks
• Oklahoma: 26 weeks
• Oregon: 26 weeks
• Pennsylvania: 26 weeks
• Puerto Rico: 26 weeks
• Rhode Island: 26 weeks
• South Carolina: 20 weeks
• South Dakota: 26 weeks
• Tennessee: 26 weeks
• Texas:26 weeks
• Utah: 26 weeks
• Vermont: 26 weeks
• Virgin Islands: 26 weeks
• Virginia: 26 weeks
• Washington: 26 weeks
• West Virginia: 26 weeks
• Wisconsin: 26 weeks
• Wyoming: 26 weeks

What Federal Unemployment Benefits Are Available?

There are three federal unemployment benefit programs available – but not for long. They're set to end on Sept. 6. It has been estimated that approximately 7.5 million Americans are at risk for losing federal unemployment benefits.

Those three federal unemployment benefit programs are:

• Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. This provides unemployment compensation to self-employed workers who otherwise aren't eligible for state benefits. The amount of compensation depends on the state and how much you earned in your previous employment.
• Federal Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation. This offers help to the long-term unemployed who have depleted their regular state benefits. It was giving workers $600 a week until midway in the summer of 2020 when it was reduced to $300 a week.
• Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation. This offers an additional $300 a week in federal unemployment benefits to unemployed workers.

But again, unless Congress intervenes, these three federal unemployment programs are set to end. For about half the country, these programs have already ended. Many states ended them early.

What if I Need Unemployment Benefits After 26 Weeks? Do I Have Options?

After Sept. 6, your options may be pretty limited, other than finding employment. Of course, regular unemployment benefits will continue, and so if you became unemployed, for instance, on Aug. 20, you'd have a couple weeks of receiving extended benefits – and then you would continue receiving your regular state's unemployment benefits.

If you are unemployed and struggling to find work, Clark suggests that unemployed workers should check out the U.S. Department of Labor's Rapid Response Solutions for businesses and workers, which focuses on employees who have been laid off or affected by plant closures.

"The program assists workers by providing various services including job search assistance, career counseling, resume preparation, unemployment insurance and opportunities for training and education," Clark says.

He also recommends that workers with disability employment issues check out Benefits.gov's Job Accommodation Network . Clark also recommends young unemployed workers look at the U.S. Department of Labor's Jobs Corps program, which, he says, "provides skills training and career counseling."

Mary Sullivan, a career transformation specialist in Kirkland, Washington, recommends unemployed employees who are running out of benefits take advantage of all the job training and workshops that your state has to offer.

"Many times, you can not only level up your skills but meet new connections to help you find a job," Sullivan says.

She also suggests the tried and true part-time job , though she goes with the fancier names "gap job" and "side hustle."

"The key to everything is to stay positive and have a plan. Exhaust all the government training, workshops and financial programs there to help you until you find the job you need," Sullivan says.

But, of course, it would be easier to stay positive if the federal unemployment benefit programs weren't ending. They may have been borne out of the pandemic, but the pandemic marches on, and for those people who are just losing their jobs now, a life preserver is just what you need right now.

Tags: careers , Applying , money , personal finance , employment , unemployment

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Unemployment Benefit Tips

Tips To Collect Unemployment Benefits

If a temp job doesn’t work out can I go back and start collecting unemployment again?

by Debbie (Colorado)

I lost my job after 20 years and I am so lost, confused and afraid……I currently receive unemployment and have about another 6 months of benefits ……I might have a chance to work a temporary position that could lead to a benefited/regular full time position in my field- if my temp job would end would I be eligible for unemployment again?……how would I find out if I am unable to get through to the unemployment office? I tried sending an e-mail and received no response. I would think the system would want me to try and get employment…….

Oh, they do want you to go back to work.

I’m will address my answer to the issues you’ve raised concerning accepting a temp assignment you hope will turn into a regular permanent job and working for a temp agency .. since you are located in Colorado.

If a person refuses a job .. temporary or otherwise the issue is a disqualification for refusal of work. The only reason to refuse a job is if it is not “suitable work” based upon the criteria set forth in statute.

Now onto whether you can get unemployment back if the temp position ends or if you become disheartened if it never turns into a regular “benefited job.

You will become an employee of the temp agency. And “some” states have “temporary worker provisions”. Colorado does have a provision. (click here for CO’s Online Reference Material

It says that if an assignment ends for any reason you must contact the temp agency within 48 hours for another assignment (we need to be able to verify this action) or you will be considered to have voluntarily quit. So no matter the reason the assignment ends you must do this.

Let’s say the position doesn’t become permanent, but ends because the temp agency’s client has no more work for you. This does not necessarily mean that you can now collect unemployment because the most recent work has been for a temp agency and due to the nature of their work you will only be able to collect if they can’t find you more work. That would make it a lack of work claim and you would then be able to restart benefits.

BUT I know what temp agency’s do, and the nature of temp work is assignments, so once you have worked on assignment .. they like to keep you working instead of you being able to collect unemployment due to a lack of work.

They have high experience ratings which just means they pay more unemployment tax on your wages. They try to keep that rate down.

They are known for offering assignments that are not suitable to your experience, location, pay expectations, etc., and protest unemployment claims by saying you “refused suitable work” or you didn’t call in for another assignment etc. Although they offer a great way to make more money than unemployment pays .. you need to be AWARE.

I know I tend toward too much info sometimes, so please forgive me if it was too much.

US weekly jobless claims fall; business spending on equipment easing

Signage for a job fair is seen on 5th Avenue after the release of the jobs report in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., September 3, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights

• Weekly jobless claims drop 24,000 to 209,000
• Continuing claims decline 22,000 to 1.840 million
• Core capital goods orders dip 0.1%; shipments unchanged

WASHINGTON, Nov 22 (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, but that likely does not change the view that the labor market is gradually slowing as higher interest rates cool demand in the economy.

Though the weekly jobless claims report from the Labor Department on Wednesday also showed unemployment rolls declining for the first-time since mid-September, they remained near the highs for this year. The drop in both initial and continuing claims likely reflected ongoing challenges ironing out seasonal fluctuations from the data.

Slowing demand for labor and subsiding inflation have led economists and financial markets to conclude the Federal Reserve was done hiking interest rates in the current cycle.

"Looking past seasonal noise, we think the claims data are consistent with a job market that is cooling enough to keep rate hikes off the table, but too strong to make rate cuts a consideration any time soon," said Nancy Vanden Houten, lead U.S. economist at Oxford Economics in New York.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 24,000 to a seasonally adjusted 209,000 for the week ended Nov. 18. The decline more than reversed the jump in the prior week, which had lifted claims to a three-month high. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 226,000 claims for the latest week.

The data was released a day early because of the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday.

Unadjusted claims rose 21,239 to 238,677 last week. Claims in California surged 7,911. There were also significant increases in filings in Kentucky, Oregon, Kentucky and Illinois. Only Texas reported a decrease in claims in excess of 1,000.

Minutes of the Fed's Oct. 31-Nov. 1 meeting published on Tuesday showed that while policymakers viewed labor market conditions as having "remained tight," they noted that "they had eased since earlier in the year, partly as a result of recent increases in labor supply."

Stocks on Wall Street were trading higher. The dollar rose against a basket of currencies. Prices of shorter-dated U.S. Treasuries fell.

LABOR MARKET SLOWING

Financial markets are anticipating a rate cut in the middle of 2024, according to CME Group's FedWatch Tool. Most economists, however, view a rate cut as premature.

Indeed, a survey from the University of Michigan on Wednesday showed consumers this month anticipating higher inflation both in the near and long term. The rise in inflation expectations, especially over the next five years to the highest level since 2011, could worry policymakers. Since March 2022, the U.S. central bank has hiked its policy rate by 525 basis points to the current 5.25%-5.50% range.

"This will remind policymakers that it will be some time before the Fed can consider the 2021-22 surge in inflation to have truly been contained and reversed," said Conrad DeQuadros, senior economic advisor at Brean Capital in New York.

But other economists were not too concerned, with Daniel Silver, an economist at JPMorgan, arguing that "we should also keep in mind that this increase in inflation expectations has not been evident to the same degree in some other related measures."

A survey from the New York Fed this month showed softer inflation expectations in October.

The claims data covered the period during which the government surveyed businesses for the nonfarm payrolls component of November's employment report.

Claims rose marginally between the October and November survey weeks. The economy created 150,000 jobs in October.

Though the labor market is steadily slowing, there are signs the moderation is broadening out. According to the Bank of America Institute, an analysis of internal data showed a rise in "pay disruptions" over 2023, consistent with rising joblessness.

It noted that this phenomenon, previously confined to higher-income groups, appeared to be extending to middle- and lower-income cohorts. The institute also said there was a significant slowdown in job-to-job moves, consistent with slower hiring and workers' reluctance to move against an uncertain economic backdrop.

Data next week on the number of people receiving benefits after an initial week of aid, a proxy for hiring, will offer more clues on the health of the labor market in November. Continuing claims fell 22,000 to 1.840 million during the week ending Nov. 11, the latest claims report showed. They had increased since mid-September, hitting a two-year high in early November.

Most economists expect them to resume their upward trend in the coming weeks. A combination of easing labor market conditions and difficulties adjusting the data for seasonal fluctuations following an unprecedented surge in applications for jobless benefits early in the COVID-19 pandemic have pushed continuing claims higher.

Slowing economic demand was evident in a report from the Commerce Department on Wednesday showing business spending on equipment struggling to rebound early in the fourth quarter. Non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business spending plans, dipped 0.1% last month after falling 0.2% in September, the Commerce Department's Census Bureau said.

Core capital goods shipments were unchanged for a second straight month. Shipments of non-defense capital goods dropped 0.3% following a 0.2% decline in the prior month.

These shipments feed into the calculation of equipment spending in the gross domestic product report. Business spending on equipment contracted in the third quarter. The economy grew at a 4.9% annualized rate in the July-September quarter. Growth estimates for the fourth quarter are mostly below a 2% pace.

"It's true that the recent drop-back in bond yields may provide some support for investment, but borrowing costs are likely to remain considerably higher than they were a couple of years ago for the foreseeable future," said Andrew Hunter, deputy chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics. "And with banks continuing to tighten lending standards too, there appears to be little chance of an imminent recovery."

Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Paul Simao

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Advancing social justice, promoting decent work

Ilo is a specialized agency of the united nations.

World Employment and Social Outlook – Trends 2018

ILO: Unemployment and decent work deficits to remain high in 2018

The ILO’s flagship report shows that while the global unemployment rate is stabilizing, unemployment and decent work deficits will stay at persistently high levels in many parts of the world.

Vulnerable employment is on the rise and the pace of working poverty reduction is slowing

Looking ahead, structural shifts and ageing will add further pressures on the labour market.

Main regional findings

Northern africa.

• The unemployment rate should decline from 11.7 per cent in 2017 to 11.5 per cent in 2018.
• The number of unemployed remains steady at 8.7 million amidst strong growth in the labour force.
• Globally, the region features the highest unemployment rate driven by large gaps for youth and women who are significantly over-represented among the unemployed.

Sub-Saharan Africa

• The unemployment rate is expected to reach 7.2 per cent, essentially remaining unchanged.
• The number of unemployed should increase by 1 million due to the region’s high levels of labour force growth.
• More than one in three workers is living in conditions of extreme poverty, while almost three out of four workers are in vulnerable employment.

Northern America

• Unemployment is likely to decline from 4.7 per cent in 2017 to 4.5 per cent in 2018.
• This is driven by a decline in the unemployment rates in both Canada and the United States.

Latin America and the Caribbean

• The unemployment rate is projected to decrease only marginally, going from 8.2 per cent in 2017 to 7.7 per cent by 2019.
• Considering that the regional unemployment rate was as low as 6.1 per cent in 2014, the region is still far from fully recovering from the employment losses of recent years.

Arab states

• Labour market conditions are expected to remain relatively stable, with the regional unemployment rate projected to slightly decline to 8.3 per cent in 2018 and to edge upward in 2019.
• As a result, almost 5 million people will be unemployed in 2018, with women accounting for almost one third of the unemployed pool despite representing only 16 per cent of the regional labour force.

Asia and the Pacific

• Unemployment should remain low by international standards and rather stable over the forecast period, at 4.2 per cent.
• This is largely due to the fact that the region is expected to continue to create jobs at a fast rate.
• The number of employed persons is projected to grow by some 23 million between 2017 and 2019.
• Vulnerable employment affects almost half of all workers, more than 900 million, in the region.

Northern, Southern and Western Europe

• Sustained by better-than-expected economic activity, the unemployment rate is projected to have decreased from 9.2 per cent in 2016 to 8.5 per cent in 2017, the lowest rate since 2008.
• The largest reductions in unemployment rates, of the order of 2 percentage points, are likely to be seen in Spain and Greece (15.4 and 19.5 per cent respectively in 2018).
• The unemployment rate should also continue to fall in 2018 in Italy, Ireland and Portugal but at a slower pace than over the period 2015-2017.
• It should remain stable in France and in the UK, although in the latter country it is expected to slightly edge upward in 2019.

Eastern Europe

• As economic growth rebounds considerably, the unemployment rate is projected to decline, but only modestly, reaching 5.3 per cent in 2018 from 5.5 per cent in 2017.
• This reflects falling unemployment rates in countries such as Poland, Ukraine and Slovakia, only partly offset by the expectation of growing unemployment in the Czech Republic.

Central and Western Asia

• The relatively strong rebound in economic growth is only partially translating into falling unemployment. The regional unemployment rate is expected to remain at around 8.6 per cent throughout 2018 and 2019.
• Vulnerable employment remains persistently high, affecting more than 30 per cent of workers in 2017 but it is estimated to slightly decline over 2018 and 2019 (0.6 percentage points).

Why 'just getting a job' when you're on Centrelink isn't always that simple

"Just get a job".

It's the common trope many living on Centrelink payments hear again and again.

But social security recipients, academics and economists say "just getting a job" isn't always straightforward.

Here's why.

Disability and health a key issue

According to recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) , a key barrier to labour force participation was having a disability or health condition.

Sharon Davis lives with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (MECFS) — a debilitating multi-system illness that severely impacts her physical and mental capacity — which gets worse the more she tries to push through it.

"It's like having a hangover, jetlag and a terrible flu all at the same time, every day," she said.

An actor with decades of work behind her in performing arts and in retail and hospitality, the 44-year-old's health forced her out of the workforce.

She has been on the JobSeeker payment since mid-2022 and is occasionally able to pick up a few hours of casual teaching work.

Ms Davis would love to be able to exit the social security system, but said her health was holding her back.

She said before her illness, she was happy to take on all different kinds of employment.

"I want to work, but it's all about the kind of work and the amount of hours and whether it's sustainable for my health and to live on," she said. 

According to a report by the Australian Council of Social Service  (ACOSS), 41 per cent of JobSeeker and Youth Allowance recipients in 2019 had disabilities.

Government statistics show  roughly the same amount of JobSeeker recipients during September 2023, had a partial capacity to work, defined as an impairment preventing them from working 30 hours per week. 

A tightening of the Disability Support Pension has made it harder for people to get onto the payment, said Elise Klein, a senior lecturer in public policy at the Australian National University.

"A lot of those folks find themselves classified as a job seeker and get the JobSeeker pay, which is much lower, and the assumption there is that you're looking for work — but actually, people have very legitimate reasons why they can't," she said.

Caring duties 

Unpaid care is also a significant barrier to workforce participation, particularly for women, ABS data shows.

Hundreds of thousands of people who perform caring duties receive Centrelink payments, whether through Carer or Parenting Payments, JobSeeker, or another payment.

Even for those who have some available time to work, it can be difficult to find an employer that can accommodate their caring responsibilities. 

"Care work helps to hold up the economy and society, and a lot of folks doing this work receive social security payments," Dr Klein said.

"We think of employment as the only form of work, but there's actually many forms of work, and a lot of it's unpaid. It doesn't mean these people are not contributing at all."

Location and the labour market

University of Melbourne professor and economist Jeff Borland said available jobs did not always fit the skills, experience and location of people who were unemployed, and a similar number of job vacancies to jobseekers did not mean those positions could be easily filled. 

"The labour market is always in flux," Professor Borland said.

"It's always going to take time for the available jobs to get filled, and it may just be that there's a mismatch between skills and where people live and where the jobs are — this is nothing to do with motivation."

An economic downturn, when fewer jobs are created, can create further difficulties, he said.

Mutual obligations

This could be a controversial one, depending on who you ask.

Those who support mutual obligations, which includes successive governments, have stood by the system amid criticism.

"There is strong international and Australian evidence that mutual obligation requirements speed entry into employment," the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations  wrote in a submission to a parliamentary inquiry  earlier this year. 

"[They] also help target income support payments to those who are genuinely unable to support themselves."

However, others say mutual obligations are a stressor that often lowers job search capability. 

"There are questions about whether this system ... actually helps people find work, because there's evidence mounting [it doesn't]," Dr Klein said.

Research has suggested  those doing mutual obligations can take longer to become re-employed and spend less time in employment compared to those not doing mutual obligations — and if they did find work, it was in comparatively "lower quality" jobs.

When mutual obligations were temporarily lifted at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a survey of JobSeeker recipients indicated they were able to interact more meaningfully with the labour market.

The parliamentary enquiry into Workforce Australia is due to report by the end of November.

"Our system doesn't care about things like productivity, workforce participation, economic security, human capital, or secure work. It literally only cares about kicking people off welfare at every moment," Labor MP and chair Julian Hill told a conference in October .

"We will need to make recommendations on how to ensure the overarching goal of mutual obligations is to support participation, not pointlessly punish people."

The ABC contacted both Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth and Employment Minister Tony Burke for comment.

'Trapped in the system'

Dr Klein said comments such as "stop being lazy" and "get a job" perpetuated feelings of shame for social security recipients.

"There's a world of difference between what the public gets fed, particularly by segments of the media and the political elite, and actually what is the reality of a jobseeker," she said.

Professor Borland said, in his experience, which includes time on the government's Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee , the vast majority of people receiving Centrelink payments were highly motivated to work.

"Effort in searching for work can matter. But it's also the case that, very definitely, other things matter as well," he said.

He said poverty made it more difficult to get into employment.

"Having the money to be able to afford things like transport costs, the cost of clothing that you might need to be able to ... look presentable," he said. 

"Research on what's called 'mental scarcity' also says when people are financially insecure, their thinking can be taken up by just how to get by ... and that can crowd out the time they otherwise would have spent on a job search."

Other hidden barriers can include name discrimination , with research from  Monash University and King's College London , finding applicants from ethnic minorities were almost half as likely to receive a call back than applicants with English names when they applied for a non-leadership position.

Postcode discrimination can also have an impact.

Meanwhile, Sharon Davis is "taking baby steps" to get back into employment as she works on her health.

She said she would like to see those who made judgements that welfare recipients were "lazy" to try living on the payment themselves.

"When you are on such a small amount of money that you are in poverty, it's really difficult to actually get out of that cycle, and so a lot of people end up trapped within the system," she said.

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Russia-Ukraine war – live: Putin’s troops ‘pushed back miles’ after major Kyiv breakthrough on Dnipro River

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

Ukrainian forces say they have pushed Russian troops three to eight kilometeres back on the banks of the key Dnipro River.

If confirmed, it would be the first meaningful advance by Kyiv’s forces months into a relatively slow counteroffensive.

“Preliminary figures vary from three to eight kilometres, depending on the specifics, geography and landscape design of the left bank,” army spokeswoman Natalia Gumenyuk told Ukrainian television, without specifying whether Ukraine’s military had complete control of the area or if the Russians had retreated.

Ukrainian and Russian forces have been entrenched on opposite sides of the vast waterway in the southern Kherson region for more than a year, after Russia withdrew its troops from the western bank last November.

Ukrainian forces have staged multiple attempts to cross and hold positions on the Russian-controlled side - with officials in Kyiv finally reporting a “successful” breakthrough last week.

After securing multiple footholds on the eastern bank, the Ukrainian military claimed to have repelled 12 attacks over the weekend. Mr Putin has lost around a brigade’s worth of forces there in a month, claims Kyiv.

Ukrainian army pushing Russian forces back at Dnipro river

Russia launches waves of drone strikes on kyiv for second night.

Cluster bombs in battle for Avdiivka fuelling stalemate on frontline, says UK

Ukraine establishes 'several bridgeheads' on eastern bank of Dnipro

Nato concerned by secessionist rhetoric and Russian influence in Bosnia

11:58 , Andy Gregory

Jens Stoltenberg has said Nato is concerned by secessionist rhetoric and Russian influence in Bosnia, after months of Serb leaders increasingly saying they want to split and join Serbia.

Bosnia emerged from civil war in 1995 with a federal structure uniting a Serb-dominated republic and a federation of Croats and Bosniak Muslims. But the leader of Serbian entity, Milorad Dodik, has increasingly said in recent months that he aims to secede and join neighbouring Serbia.

“We are concerned by secessionist and divisive rhetoric as well as ... foreign interference including Russia,” the Nato chief told reporters in Sarajevo, during a tour of the western Balkans region.

“This undermines the stability and hampers reform,” Mr Stoltenberg said, adding that all political leaders must work to preserve unity, build national institutions and achieve reconciliation.

Nato had deployed about 60,000 troops in Bosnia after the war, which were replaced by an EU peacekeeping force in 2004. Last year, the EU almost doubled its size to 1,100 troops, amid fears that instability from the Ukraine war could spill over to the western Balkans.

Putin to address G20 summit this week, Kremlin says

11:15 , Andy Gregory

Vladimir Putin will set out Russia’s view of what it sees as the “deeply unstable world situation” when he addresses an upcoming virtual G20 summit, the Kremlin has said.

Russian state TV presenter Pavel Zarubin said on his Telegram channel on Sunday that it would be the “first event in a long time” including both the Russian president and Western leaders.

According to the state RIA news agency, the G20 virtual summit will be held on Wednesday.

Russia relying on penal recruits to stem increase in deserters on Donetsk frontline, Ukraine claims

11:06 , Andy Gregory

Growing numbers of Russian soldiers are deserting the frontline in Donetsk, Ukraine’s military has claimed as it braces for a long-awaited “third wave” of attacks by Moscow’s forces in Avdiivka.

The Institute for Study of War think-tank cited Ukrainian Colonel Oleksandr Shtupun as saying that Russia may soon intensify artillery preparations for the new wave of assaults on the strategically key city.

Moscow’s forces have not actively used heavy military equipment Avdiivka in recent days, have decreased aviation use in the area, and are increasingly using infantry, he said, claiming that Russia’s significant losses mean only 10 to 15 percent of some detachments’ original personnel remain.

In remarks on Sunday, Mr Shtupun claimed there were growing numbers of Russian deserters and personnel who refuse to conduct offensive operations, leading Russian commanders to use physical force and barrier troops to push Russian forces to fight, with an increased reliance on mobilised reservists and penal recruits.

EU sanctions tend to have ‘boomerang effect’, Russia claims

10:54 , Andy Gregory

The Kremlin has claimed that European Union sanctions tend to have a “boomerang effect”, as Moscow faces the prospect of an EU ban on imports of Russian diamonds.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday that such a move had been anticipated for a long time, but was likely to backfire.

“As a rule, it turns out that a boomerang effect is partially triggered: the interests of the Europeans themselves suffer. So far, we have been able to find ways to minimise the negative consequences of sanctions,” he claimed.

EU diplomatic sources told Reuters last week that the proposal under discussion was to ban direct diamond imports from Russia from 1 January, and to implement a traceability mechanism by March which would prevent imports of Russian gems processed in third countries.

Exclusive: Andriy Shevchenko urges the world not to forget Ukraine

10:29 , Andy Gregory

On the morning of 24 February 2022 – a date etched in every Ukrainian’s mind – Andriy Shevchenko was woken by a phone call from his mother. She told him through tears that Russia was invading. Shevchenko was in London, where he lives with his wife and four sons; his mother and wider family were in Ukraine, under attack.

Shevchenko has barely slept since. “It’s almost impossible,” he says. “It’s going to be almost two years since the full war started, and every day I wake up, check the phone – what’s the news? Are we going to be attacked in Kyiv? Are we going to be attacked in a different city? How many drones? How many rockets? Where have the rockets hit? And then, talking to my friends – who’s dead? It’s a normal day for us.”

Shevchenko is using his platform as one of Europe’s greatest footballers, a Ballon d’Or winner and a Chelsea cult hero to keep the spotlight on Ukraine at a time when the world’s attention has turned to the Middle East. In the West, the initial shock caused by Russia’s invasion has subsided, and a sense of normalisation has crept in. He is understandably worried that Ukraine’s cause might be forgotten.

“I hope not,” he says. “Because for us, it’s everything. For us, it’s exist or not exist.”

Our senior sports writer Lawrence Ostlere has the full exclusive interview here:

Andriy Shevchenko on Ukraine: ‘Every day I wake up, check the phone. Who’s dead?’

Kremlin ‘deeply regrets’ Finland’s border closures

10:08 , Andy Gregory

The Kremlin has said it deeply regrets Finland’s decision to close crossings along the two countries’ vast border on Saturday.

Finland closed four crossings on Saturday in a bid to halt the flow of asylum-seekers, having accused Moscow of funnelling migrants to the frontier in retaliation for Helsinki’s ascension to Nato and increased Western military cooperation since the invasion of Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied Finland’s accusation on Monday and insisted that Russian border guards were carrying out their duties in line with the rules.

Asked about the closure of the four crossings, Mr Peskov told reporters: “This causes nothing but deep regret, because we had long-standing, very good relations with Finland, pragmatic, based on mutual respect.

“And of course, we regret that these relations were replaced by such an exclusively Russophobic position, which the leaders of this country began to espouse,” he said.

Moscow protest shows lengthy Russian deployments to frontline ‘unsustainable’, says UK

09:44 , Andy Gregory

Protests in Moscow by the wives of Russian soldiers show that their lengthy deployments to the front line are increasingly viewed as unsustainable, Britain’s Ministry of Defence suggested.

Russian wives and mothers have been making daily online appeals protesting against the conditions of their loved ones’ service since the invasion of Ukraine last February.

“However, Russia’s draconian legislation has so far prevented troops’ relatives from coalescing into an influential lobbying force, as soldiers’ mothers did during the Afghan-Soviet War of the 1980s,” said the ministry”.

But on 7 November, they held a rare street protest in Moscow’s central Teatralnya Square, unfurling banners demanding the rotation of their partners away from the frontline.

Police broke up the protest within minutes, according to the ministry, which added: “However, the protestors’ immediate demand is notable.

“The apparently indefinitely extended combat deployments of personnel without rotation is increasingly seen as unsustainable by both the troops themselves and by their relatives.”

US defence secretary’s visit to Kyiv is his first since early months of war

09:21 , Andy Gregory

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin has made an unannounced visit to Kyiv today, as he pushes to keep money and weapons flowing to Ukraine.

Mr Austin travelled by train from Poland, and is scheduled to meet with senior Ukrainian officials.

It marks his second trip to Kyiv – with his first having taken place in April 2022, just two months after Russia’s invasion.

Two killed in Kherson after Russia shells parking lot, officials say

08:55 , Andy Gregory

Two people have been killed this morning after Russian forces shelled a parking lot in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, according to officials.

Regional prosecutors said they had opened a war-crimes investigation into the artillery strike, which occurred at around 9am and injured one other person.

Kherson governor Oleksandr Prokudin said the two dead were drivers for “a private transport business”.

Images posted on Telegram showed firefighters dousing cars that had been blasted apart, one day after a separate strike on the city wounded five people, including a 3-year-old girl.

Russian forces have regularly shelled Kherson from across the Dnipro River since the city was liberated last November by Ukrainian troops – who are now seeking to push Moscow’s troops away from the river after establishing a foothold on the opposite bank.

Second drone in as many days shot down near Moscow as Russia and Ukraine exchange attacks on capitals

08:29 , Andy Gregory

Russia and Ukraine sent drones targeting each other’s capital cities over the weekend in signs of renewed intensity for their aerial warfare, my colleague Arpan Rai reports.

Drones were shot down on both Saturday and Sunday in areas around Kyiv and Moscow. Air defence systems for both sides intercepted attacks and no casualties were reported.

Multiple drones that were heading for Moscow and Russia’s border areas on Sunday were downed by Russian air defence systems over the weekend, officials said.

Kyiv has promised to wage a major drone campaign against Russia this winter, as bad weather conditions make it difficult to conduct operations on the ground.

Russia under Ukraine’s drone attack for two nights in row as Moscow remains on target

Zelensky dismisses Ukraine’s military medical chief

08:11 , Andy Gregory

Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed Major General Tetiana Ostashchenko as the commander of Ukraine’s medical forces, as he demanded rapid changes in the operations of the country’s military medical system.

“In today’s meeting with defence minister [Rustem] Umerov, priorities were set,” the Ukrainian president said in his nightly address on Sunday. “There is little time left to wait for results. Quick action is needed for forthcoming changes.”

He added: “The task is clear, as has been repeatedly stressed in society, particularly among combat medics, we need a fundamentally new level of medical support for our soldiers.”

A wide range of improvements are needed, Mr Zelensky said – from better tourniquets, to improvements in digitalisation and communication.

Ms Ostashchenko was replaced by Major General Anatoliy Kazmirchuk, head of a military clinic in Kyiv.

US defence secretary arrives in Kyiv

07:45 , Andy Gregory

US secretary of defence Lloyd Austin has arrived for a visit in Kyiv.

I just arrived in Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian leaders. I’m here today to deliver an important message – the United States will continue to stand with Ukraine in their fight for freedom against Russia’s aggression, both now and into the future. pic.twitter.com/1D96aeeACl — Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) November 20, 2023

Two killed as grenade explodes in Kyiv apartment

07:26 , Andy Gregory

A Ukrainian soldier and a woman died when a grenade exploded in an apartment in Kyiv, injuring a second man, police said.

Explosives technicians and investigators were working at the scene of Sunday’s explosion in the Dniprovskiy district, Kyiv police said in a statement.

“A citizen contacted the police with a report that an explosion rang out in a neighbouring apartment,” they added.

Earlier this month, an aide to Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, General Valery Zaluzhnyi, died when a grenade given to him as a birthday gift blew up.

An orphaned teenager who was taken to Russia early in the Ukraine war is back home with relatives

07:00 , Holly Evans

An orphaned Ukrainian teenager who was taken to Russia last year during the war in his country returned home after being reunited with relatives in Belarus on his 18th birthday Sunday.

Bohdan Yermokhin was pictured embracing family members in Minsk in photographs shared on social media by Russia’s children’s rights ombudswoman, Maria Lvova-Belova.

Andrii Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian president’s office, confirmed that Yermokhin had arrived back in Ukraine and shared a photo of him with a Ukrainian flag. Yermak thanked UNICEF and Qatari negotiators for facilitating Yermokhin’s return.

Read the full article here

Putin could face new war crime case as evidence suggests starvation of Ukraine was pre-planned

05:30 , Holly Evans

Russia was actively preparing to steal grain supplies and starve the Ukrainian population of food for months before Vladimir Putin ordered last year’s invasion, according to new evidence compiled by human rights experts.

When Russian tanks did roll across the border on 24 February 2022 they deliberately targeted grain-rich areas and food production infrastructure first, the new report by international human rights law firm Global Rights Compliance found.

GRC found that Russia’s defence contractor began purchasing trucks to transport grain, as well as three new 170-metre bulk carrier cargo ships, as early as December 2021, evidence of advance planning for the pillage of Ukrainian food resources “on an unprecedented scale”.

Putin could face new war crime case over ‘planned’ starvation of Ukraine

Wife of twice-poisoned Briton held in Kremlin prison fears ‘time is running out’

04:30 , Holly Evans

The wife of a British-Russian national held in a Krelimn prison says she fears time is running out, and has called for the UK to take more urgent action to free him.

Vladimir Kara-Murza survived two near-fatal poisonings, in 2015 and 2017, which resulted in organ failure and polyneuropathy, a condition that causes nerve damage.

The Vladimir Putin critic was jailed for 25 years in April this year on charges of treason and spreading “false information” about Russia’s war in Ukraine .

Zelensky calls for rapid operation changes and sacks commander

03:30 , Holly Evans

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday demanded rapid changes in the operations of Ukraine’s military and announced the dismissal of the commander of the military’s medical forces.

Zelensky’s move was announced as he met Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, and coincided with debate over the conduct of the 20-month-old war against Russia, with questions over how quickly a counteroffensive in the east and south is proceeding.

“In today’s meeting with Defence Minister Umerov, priorities were set,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address. “There is little time left to wait for results. Quick action is needed for forthcoming changes.”

Zelensky said he had replaced Major-General Tetiana Ostashchenko as commander of the Armed Forces Medical Forces.

“The task is clear, as has been repeatedly stressed in society, particularly among combat medics, we need a fundamentally new level of medical support for our soldiers,” he said.

This, he said, included a range of issues -- better tourniquets, digitalisation and better communication.

Umerov acknowledged the change on the Telegram messaging app and set as top priorities digitalisation, “tactical medicine” and rotation of servicemen.

Plight of one Ukraine village illustrates toll of Russia’s invasion

02:30 , Holly Evans

Kamianka lies in a charming valley of bright flowers and lush trees. It used to be portrayed as a model village for a contented life in rural idyll. It was also a place of archaeological and geological lure, with its rare bronze age and Scythian sites and Jurassic limestone cliffs attracting visitors from afar.

The settlement , set in a sleepy hollow, was established in the 18th century by a count from the Tsar of Russia ’s court who had returned from Britain with new methods of farming and an English bride. Keen to put his new knowledge into practice, he allocated land, built a mill, constructed roads and funded a church and a school.

But Kamianka, in eastern Ukraine , also has a dark history of violence.

Read the full article from Kim Sengupta here

Russia’s plan B in Ukraine is working – now is not the moment for the West to turn away

01:30 , Holly Evans

hen Italy ’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni , was fooled recently by two well-known Russian “comics” – surely paid-up Kremlin agents – into saying she was “tired” of the war in Ukraine and that everyone would soon be looking for a “way out”, too many of her counterparts in the West would have tacitly agreed (and perhaps sympathised: she is hardly the first to be pranked by these two).

But Ms Meloni deserves no sympathy. She thought she was talking to the head of the African Union Commission so this should have been a chance to exercise statecraft and reason with the supposed representative from the Global South and argue that Russia ’s war in Ukraine is nothing if not colonialist itself – a desperate attempt to maintain its empire.

Russia, with an abundance of chutzpah and an absence of shame, claims that it is the West that is being colonialist in forcing its designs on Kyiv (even supposedly “Nazi-ruled Kyiv”). You have to apply to join Nato and the EU, of course, but facts like these are irrelevant.

Read the full article from James Nixey here

Russia’s plan B in Ukraine is working – the West must not turn away now

Moscow mayor says air defence units intercept drone targeting city

00:30 , Holly Evans

Air defence units in Moscow intercepted a drone targeting the city on Sunday, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

Sobyanin, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said units in the Elektrostal district in the capital’s east had intercepted the drone.

According to preliminary information, falling debris resulting from the operation had caused no casualties or damage, Sobyanin said.

UK defence ministry say ‘few immediate prospects’ for change along front line

Sunday 19 November 2023 23:30 , Holly Evans

Russian drones have targeted Kyiv as the British Defence Ministry said there were “few immediate prospects” for major change along the Ukrainian front line as the war enters its second winter.

Russia launched 20 Iranian-made Shahed drones overnight, targeting the Ukrainian capital and the Cherkasy and Poltava regions, according to a military statement.

Ukrainian anti-aircraft systems shot down 15 of the drones.

The overnight strike on Kyiv is the second attack on the Ukrainian capital in 48 hours, said the city’s Military Administration spokesperson, Serhii Popko.

He said that the drones attacked Kyiv from different directions in waves that were “constantly changing vectors”.

Preliminary reports indicated no casualties or critical damage, he said.

Around 3,000 trucks stuck at Ukrainian border due to Polish drivers' blockade

Sunday 19 November 2023 22:30 , Holly Evans

bout 3,000 mostly Ukrainian trucks were stuck on the Polish side of the border as of Sunday morning due to a more than 10-day blockade by Polish truckers, Ukrainian authorities said.

Polish truckers earlier this month blocked roads to three border crossings with Ukraine to protest against what they see as government inaction over a loss of business to foreign competitors since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Ukrainian officials said last week Kyiv and Warsaw had again failed to reach an agreement to stop the protest.

For over 10 days, Ukrainian drivers have been blocked at the Polish border. Thousands of people are forced to live in difficult conditions with limited food, water, and fuel. Ukraine cares about its people wherever they are. Our team has already gone to the border and is… pic.twitter.com/kzn1KGLrug — Oleksandr Kubrakov (@OlKubrakov) November 19, 2023

“For over 10 days, Ukrainian drivers have been blocked at the Polish border. Thousands of people are forced to live in difficult conditions with limited food, water and fuel,” Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Ukraine’s Prime Minister, said on X, formerly Twitter.

He said trucks were backed up more than 30 kms (18.6 miles)towards the Yahodyn crossing, more than 10 kms towards Rava-Ruska, and more than 16 kms towards the Krakivets crossing.

Russia and Iran call for ceasefire in Gaza

Sunday 19 November 2023 21:30 , Holly Evans

Russia and Iran’s foreign ministers on Sunday called for a ceasefire in Gaza and said that urgent assistance must be given to the civilian population there.

Russia said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian at the request of Tehran.

“During the conversation, main attention was focused on the current situation in the zone of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” Russia’s foreign ministry said.

Ukrainian teen returns to Ukraine after being taken to Russia from occupied Mariupol

Sunday 19 November 2023 20:39 , Holly Evans

Ukrainian teenager who was taken to Russia from the occupied city of Mariupol during the war and prevented from leaving the country earlier this year returned to Ukraine on Sunday.

Bohdan Yermokhin, who turned 18 on Sunday, appealed to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy this month to help bring him back to Ukraine. In March, he tried to leave Russia for Ukraine via Belarus, but was stopped and sent back.

“I believed I would be in Ukraine, but not on this day,” Yermokhin told Reuters while eating at a petrol station after crossing into Ukraine.

“This is a very pleasant gift, to put it in the right way. The emotions are overwhelming, all good, with the notion that Ukraine needs me.”

Zelenskiy welcomed Yermokhin’s return in his nightly video address.

“Many attempts were made to help him. I am happy everything worked out,” he said, expressing thanks to Ukrainian officials, international organisations, and particularly the U.N. Children’s Fund, UNICEF, and authorities in Qatar for help in mediation.

Hungary’s Orban says Ukraine ‘light years away’ from joining EU

Sunday 19 November 2023 19:30 , Athena Stavrou

Hungary’s prime minister has said Ukraine is “light years away” from joining the European Union, further signalling that his government is likely to present a roadblock to Kyiv’s ambitions to join the bloc.

Speaking at a biannual congress of his nationalist Fidesz party, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he and his government would “resist” talks scheduled for mid-December on whether to formally invite Ukraine to start membership negotiations.

Admitting a new country requires unanimous approval from all existing member countries, giving Mr Orban a powerful veto.

Mr Orban said afterwards that standing in the way of Ukraine joining the EU would be one of his government’s top priorities in the coming months.

“Our task will be to correct the mistaken promise to start negotiations with Ukraine, since Ukraine is now light years away from the European Union,” Mr Orban said.

ICYMI: In Russia, more Kremlin critics are being imprisoned as intolerance of dissent grows

Sunday 19 November 2023 18:45 , Athena Stavrou

Russia under President Vladimir Putin has been closing in on those who challenge the Kremlin. Protesters and activists have been arrested or imprisoned, independent news outlets have been silenced, and various groups have been added to registers of “foreign agents” and “undesirable organizations.”

The crackdown has been going on for years.

Full report:

In Russia, more Kremlin critics are being imprisoned as intolerance of dissent grows

Ukraine ‘preparing for winter attacks'

Sunday 19 November 2023 18:00 , Athena Stavrou

Ukraine is preparing for further attacks on their energy grid this winter.

In his nightly address on Saturday, Ukrainian president Zelensky said that the “closer we are to winter, the more Russians will try to make the strikes more powerful.”

Zelenksy has previously raised concerns over Russian attacks on Ukraines energy grid - which became a prime target last year.

Volodymyr Kudrytskiy, the head of energy firm Ukrenergo, told local media: “All of us energy workers and defence forces are preparing to repel possible Russian attacks on the energy infrastructure this winter.”

Thousands of Ukrainian children forcefully taken to Belarus via Russia, study finds

Sunday 19 November 2023 17:15 , Athena Stavrou

Thousands of children from Ukraine aged between six and 17 years old have been forcefully transferred to 13 facilities across Belarus since Russia ‘s invasion last year , a study by Yale University has found.

The Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale School of Public Health found that the transfer of 2,442 children was “directly overseen” by Belarusian president Aleksandr Lukashenko – a key ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin .

Ukrainian teen who was taken to Russia from occupied Mariupol returns to Ukraine

Sunday 19 November 2023 16:30 , Athena Stavrou

A Ukrainian teenager who was taken to Russia from the occupied city of Mariupol during the war and prevented from leaving the country earlier this year returned to Ukraine on Sunday.

Ukraine says 20,000 children have been illegally transferred to Russia since the full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, with some being put up for adoption. Kyiv says this is a war crime, an allegation denied by Russia, which says it was protecting children in a war zone.

Yermokhin, an orphan from the Ukrainian city of Mariupol that was captured by Moscow’s troops during the first year of the war, was taken to Russia and placed in a foster family in the Moscow region.

On Sunday, Reuters correspondents at Kortelisy, a Ukrainian village near the border with Belarus, saw Yermokhin driven into Ukraine from the border in a van. Asked if he was glad to be back in Ukraine, Yermokhin said “yes”.

🇺🇦Bohdan Yermokhin is in Ukraine! Together with other state authorities, the team of the Office of the Ombudsman worked out a way to return the boy within the framework of the implementation of the approved @bkb_ua action plan of the President of Ukraine @ZelenskyyUa pic.twitter.com/0wGh9fQtI4 — Dmytro Lubinets (@lubinetzs) November 19, 2023

Putin to take part in G20 summit

Sunday 19 November 2023 15:45 , Athena Stavrou

Russian president Vladimir Putin is expected to take part in a virtual G20 summit next week, according to local media.

The conference is set to be hosted by India and happen on Wednesday, as reported by Russian news agency TASS, citing the TV channel ‘Russia-1’.

Putin did not attend the last two G20 meetings in India in September and Indonesia last year. He has taken few trips outside Russia since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader over the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.

Latest pictures from Ukraine

Sunday 19 November 2023 15:03 , Athena Stavrou

Sunday 19 November 2023 14:20 , Athena Stavrou

Despite slow progress, the War in Ukraine has not reached a stalemate.

Ukraine’s forces can only win if the West shows a renewed commitment to forcing Russia out, James Nixey writes:

Around 3,000 trucks stuck at Ukrainian border

Sunday 19 November 2023 13:19 , Athena Stavrou

About 3,000 mostly Ukrainian trucks were stuck on the Polish side of the border as of Sunday morning due to a more than 10-day blockade by Polish truckers, Ukrainian authorities said.

“For over 10 days, Ukrainian drivers have been blocked at the Polish border. Thousands of people are forced to live in difficult conditions with limited food, water and fuel,” Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Ukraine‘s Prime Minister, said on X, formerly Twitter.

Ukrainian grain brokers said last week Ukraine‘s shipments of food by road decreased 2.7% in the first 13 days of November due to difficulties on the Polish border caused by a drivers’ strike.

Sunday 19 November 2023 12:05 , Athena Stavrou

The Ukrainian army said on Sunday that it has pushed Russian forces back “three to eight kilometres” from the banks of Dnipro river.

If confirmed, it would be the first meaningful advance by Kyiv’s forces months into a disappointing counteroffensive.

“Preliminary figures vary from three to eight kilometres, depending on the specifics, geography and landscape design of the left bank,” army spokeswoman Natalia Gumenyuk told Ukrainian television Sunday, without specifying whether Ukraine’s military had complete control of the area or if the Russians had retreated.

Ukrainian forces have staged multiple attempts to cross and hold positions on the Russian-controlled side -- with officials in Kyiv finally reporting a “successful” breakthrough last week.

‘Greater fighting capacity' of Ukrainian recruits trained by UK

Sunday 19 November 2023 11:54 , Athena Stavrou

A Ukrainian military spokesperson has said recruits trained in the UK’s Interflex training course have a “greater fighting capacity”.

Operation Interflex was launched by the UK Armed Forces in June 2022 to develop and better prepare Ukrainian soldiers. Recruits spend five weeks in the UK receiving intense training.

The UK’s Ministry of Defence posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that 30,000 Ukrainians have been trained through Op Interflex.

They shared a comment from a Ukrainian armed forces spokesperson that said: “We notice the greater fighting capacity of the servicemen and women of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who completed the Interflex training course.”

"We notice the greater fighting capacity of the servicemen and women of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who completed the Interflex training course."- Maj Gen Oleksii Taran, Armed Forces of Ukraine. 30,000 Ukrainians have been trained through Op Interflex. 🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/S2Z3nvUe4L — Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) November 19, 2023

Five hurt in Russian shelling in Kherson, Ukraine says

Sunday 19 November 2023 10:56 , Athena Stavrou

Five people including a 3-year-old girl were injured in Russian artillery shelling of Kherson on Sunday morning, Ukrainian interior minister Ihor Klymenko said.

“All of them sustained shrapnel wounds. The child and the grandmother were walking in the yard. Enemy artillery hit them near the entrance,” Klymenko said on the Telegram messaging app.

Russian troops abandoned Kherson and the western bank of the Dnipro River in the region late last year, but now regularly shell those areas from positions on the eastern bank.

Reuters could not independently confirm the report.

Ukrainian forces work to push back Putin’s troops on key river

Sunday 19 November 2023 10:15 , Athena Stavrou

Ukrainian troops worked to push back Russian forces positioned on the east bank of the Dnieper River, the military said Saturday.

It comes a day after Ukraine claimed to have secured multiple bridgeheads on that side of the river that divides the country’s partially occupied Kherson region.

Ukraine’s establishment of footholds on on the Russian-held bank of the Dnieper represents a small but potentially significant strategic advance in the midst of a war largely at a standstill.

The General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said its troops there had repelled 12 attacks by the Russian army between Friday and Saturday.

The Ukrainians now were trying to “push back Russian army units as far as possible in order to make life easier for the (western) bank of the Kherson region, so that they get shelled less,” Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Southern Operational Command, said.

The Russian military said on Saturday it had heavily bombed Ukrainian forces around the River Dnipro in southern Ukraine and killed up to 75 Ukrainian soldiers.

Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield claim.

Jailed Russian nationalist Girkin 'wants to run for president'

Sunday 19 November 2023 09:49 , Athena Stavrou

Pro-war Russian nationalist Igor Girkin, who is in custody awaiting trial for inciting extremism, has said he wants to run for president in the March 2024 election, his supporters said, citing a letter from prison.

A presidential election in Russia is set to take place in March 2024 with current president Vladimir Putin expected to also run once again.

Girkin has repeatedly warned that Russia faces revolution and even civil war unless Putin’s military top brass fight the war in Ukraine more effectively.

Oleg Nelzin, co-chairman of the Russian movement supporting Strelkov, read out a letter from Girkin in which he asked supporters to start work on putting him forward to run in the March election.

A picture of Girkin, 52, above a slogan “Our president - Igor Ivanovich Strelkov - ‘24,” was projected on a screen behind Nelzin as he spoke. Applause followed at the meeting, a clip of which Girkin’s supporters posted on Telegram.

Russia has cracked down on nationalist critics, who have called for a much tougher approach to fighting the war including martial law and a country-wide mobilisation, after the failed June mutiny by Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Russia ‘considering bringing Soviet-era aircraft back into service'

Sunday 19 November 2023 09:10 , Athena Stavrou

Russia is likely considering bringing a Soviet-era aircraft back into service, according to Britain’s Ministry of Defence.

In their latest defence intelligence update, the UK said the M-55 MYSTIC B high altitude reconnaissance aircraft may come back into service.

With an operating ceiling of over 70,000 feet, the aircraft has been recently employed as an earth-sciences research platform. However, it has been observed carrying a military reconnaissance pod, developed for employment on Russian fighter aircraft.

The defence ministry added that it was “almost certain” that the aircraft will conduct missions against Ukraine from the “relative safety of Russian airspace”.

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 19 November 2023. Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/wHi1SebuZi 🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/XYFXSU8hKd — Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) November 19, 2023

Zelensky issues sanctions for 108 people

Sunday 19 November 2023 08:38 , Athena Stavrou

Ukrainian Presidenty Zelensky has sanctioned 37 Russian groups and 108 people including a former prime minister and a former education minister.

“We are increasing the pressure of our state onto them and each of them must be held responsible for what they have done,” he said in his nightly video address on Saturday, after his office issued corresponding decrees with his signature.

Zelenskiy did not associate specific individuals or groups with particular wrongdoings. The decrees showed a range of 10-year penalties against individuals and five-year penalties against non-profit groups including one named in English as the “Russian Children’s Foundation.”

Zelenskiy said in his address that the list included “those involved in the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children from the occupied territory” and individuals who “in various ways help Russian terror against Ukraine.”

Dmytro Tabachnyk, a former minister of education and science who had his Ukrainian citizenship stripped from him in February, and ex-Prime Minister Mykola Azarov were also included in the sanctions.

With former President Viktor Yanukovich, Azarov previously had assets and property frozen among other penalties. The two men fled Ukraine for Russia in 2014 after a crackdown on street protests that killed more than 100 demonstrators in Kyiv.

Sunday 19 November 2023 07:48 , Andy Gregory

Russia launched several waves of drone attacks on Kyiv for the second night in row, stepping up its assaults on the Ukrainian capital after several weeks of pause, the head of the city’s military administration has said.

“The enemy’s UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] were launched in many groups and attacked Kyiv in waves, from different directions, at the same time constantly changing the vectors of movement along the route,” Serhiy Popko said.

“That is why the air raid alerts were announced several times in the capital.”

According to preliminary information Ukraine’s air defence systems hit close to 10 Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones in Kyiv and its outskirts, Mr Popko said.

There have been no initial reports of “critical damage” or casualties, he added.

Sunday 19 November 2023 06:00 , Holly Evans

But Kamianka, in eastern Ukraine , also has a dark history of violence. Its strategic position on the banks of the Siversky Donets River made it a battleground for armies over the ages.

Read the full story from Kim Sengupta here

Bombs and betrayal: Plight of one Ukraine village highlights toll of Russian invasion

Sunday 19 November 2023 05:00 , Holly Evans

But it increased within days of the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, when Russia adopted a law criminalizing the spreading of “false information” about the military, effectively outlawing any public expression about the war that deviated from the official narrative. Scores of people have been prosecuted under the new law, and those implicated in high-profile cases have been given long prison terms.

Read more here

The Lazarus Project star says series predicted Russia-Ukraine war

Sunday 19 November 2023 04:00 , Holly Evans

Former Bank of Russia deputy placed on Moscow’s wanted list

Sunday 19 November 2023 03:00 , Holly Evans

Russia’s interior ministry has placed former Bank of Russia deputy governor and senior politician Sergei Aleksashenko on its wanted list, Russian state news agencies have reported.

Mr Aleksashenko, who has criticised Russia’s war in Ukraine, has been living in exile in the United States after falling out with President Vladimir Putin’s government and had already been designated a “foreign agent”.

Tass reported that Mr Aleksashenko had been added to the interior ministry’s wanted list on an unspecified criminal charge. Mr Aleksashenko said on Telegram that he had been listed on the database for five years already, but suggested that being added to the wanted list was a new development.

Earlier this week, Vasiliy Piskarev – who leads the Duma’s committee on investigating foreign interference – accused Mr Aleksashenko and economist Sergei Guriev of being engaged in shaping sanctions against Russia through their involvement with Stanford University’s international working group on Russian sanctions.

The world's attention is on Gaza, and Ukrainians worry war fatigue will hurt their cause

Sunday 19 November 2023 02:00 , Holly Evans

When Tymofii Postoiuk and his friends set up an online fundraising effort for Ukraine, donations poured in from around the globe, helping to purchase essential equipment for Ukrainian armed forces.

As the fighting with Russia wore on and war fatigue set in, the donations slowed down, but money continued to come in steadily. Then the Israel- Hamas war broke out on Oct. 7.

With the start of another major conflict, social media networks including X, formerly known as Twitter, were flooded with news from the Middle East . “Our fundraising posts and updates simply get lost in between those tweets,” Postoiuk said.

Sunday 19 November 2023 01:00 , Holly Evans

The International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for the Russian president in March, accusing him and Russia’s Children’s Rights Commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine.

Ukraine pushes back Russian troops from Dnieper River

Sunday 19 November 2023 00:00 , Holly Evans

Ukrainian troops worked to push back Russian forces positioned on the east bank of the Dnieper River, the military said Saturday, a day after Ukraine claimed to have secured multiple bridgeheads on that side of the river that divides the country’s partially occupied Kherson region.

Ukraine‘s establishment of footholds on on the Russian-held bank of the Dnieper represents a small but potentially significant strategic advance in the midst of a war largely at a standstill.

The General Staff of Ukraine‘s armed forces said its troops there had repelled 12 attacks by the Russian army between Friday and Saturday. The Ukrainians now were trying to “push back Russian army units as far as possible in order to make life easier for the (western) bank of the Kherson region, so that they get shelled less,” Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson for Ukraine‘s Southern Operational Command, said.

In response, the Russian military used “tactical aviation,” including Iranian-made Shahed exploding drones, to try to pin down Ukraine‘s troops, Humeniuk said.

The harrowing Ukraine war doc '20 Days in Mariupol' is coming to TV. Here's how to watch

The visceral documentary “20 Days in Mariupol ,” about Russia’s early assault on the Ukrainian city, will soon reach its widest audience yet.

The 94-minute film, a joint production by The Associated Press and PBS “Frontline,” has been met with critical acclaim and an audience award at the Sundance Film Festival.

AP journalist Mstyslav Chernov directed the movie from 30 hours of footage shot in Mariupol in the opening days of the war. Chernov and AP colleagues Evgeniy Maloletka, a photographer, and producer Vasilisa Stepanenko were the last international journalists in the city before escaping.

Ukraine says it is pushing Putin’s forces back in ‘successes’ on Dnipro River’s east bank

Saturday 18 November 2023 23:00 , Holly Evans

Ukrainian troops have pushed Russian soldiers out of positions on the eastern bank of the River Dnipro in the occupied Kherson region, Kyiv’s military said on Friday.

Crossing the Dnipro and transporting heavy military equipment and supplies over the river could allow Ukrainian troops to open a new line of attack in the south on the most direct land route to Crimea, which was seized and annexed by Russia in 2014.

The Ukrainian marines said that they had had a series of “successes”, established several bridgeheads and conducted other operations on the river’s eastern side. Russia conceded for the first time this week that Kyiv’s troops had crossed the Dnipro.

Read the full story here

Ukraine says it is pushing Russia back in ‘successes’ on Dnipro River’s east bank

Two dead in Russian strikes near front line

Saturday 18 November 2023 22:00 , Holly Evans

At least two people have died and several more were injured after Russian strikes hit a village near the front line in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukrainian police said.

The strikes occurred in the village of Komyshuvakha.

“As a result of the first two strikes, four local residents were injured and a fire broke out in a residential building,” Ukrainian police said in a statement.

“When the police and rescuers arrived at the scene, Russians conducted another strike. Two emergency service workers were killed, and three more were injured.”

The Moscow Times is declared 'foreign agent’

Saturday 18 November 2023 21:00 , Holly Evans

Russia ‘s Justice Ministry on Friday added The Moscow Times, an online newspaper popular among Russia’s expatriate community, to its list of “foreign agents” in the country’s continuing crackdown on critical news media and opposition.

The “foreign agent” designation subjects individuals and organizations to increased financial scrutiny and requires any of their public material to prominently include notice of being declared a foreign agent. The label is seen as a pejorative aimed at undermining the designees’ credibility.

The Moscow Times, noted for its English coverage of Russia, is declared a 'foreign agent'

Dozens of migrants wait at Finland-Russia border after Helsinki blocks crossings

Saturday 18 November 2023 20:00 , Holly Evans

Dozens of migrants stood behind barriers at two crossings on Finland’s border with Russia on Saturday, the Finnish Border Guard said, after Helsinki erected barricades to halt a flow of asylum seekers it says was instigated by Moscow.

The Finnish government has accused Russia of funnelling migrants to the crossings in retaliation for its decision to increase defence cooperation with the United States, an assertion dismissed by the Kremlin.

The Finnish Border Guard erected barriers from midnight on Friday at the Vaalimaa, Nuijamaa, Imatra and Niirala border posts in southeast Finland, which account for most of the traffic between the two countries.

Saturday 18 November 2023 19:00 , Holly Evans

Aftermath of a Russian drone attack in Zaporizhhzia region

Saturday 18 November 2023 17:52 , Jabed Ahmed

Pictures below show firefighters working at the site where houses were damaged by a Russian drone strike, in the Zaporizhzhia region on Friday night.

Ukrainian police said Russia fired a series of rockets at the village of Komyshuvakha, close to the frontline in Zaporizhzhia, which Russia annexed last year.

Two first responders were also killed by the rocket attacks.

Russian doctors call for release of imprisoned artist who protested Ukraine war

Saturday 18 November 2023 17:30 , Jabed Ahmed

More than 100 Russian doctors have signed an open letter today that demands the immediate release of Sasha Skochilenko, an artist and musician who was sentenced to seven years in prison for replacing supermarket price tags with anti-war slogans.

The letter calling for the artist to be freed was addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin and warned that time in prison could lead to a “significant deterioration” in the 33-year-old artist’s health.

Skochilenko was “diagnosed with a number of severe chronic diseases that require proper medical supervision and a special diet,” states the letter, which also notes the doctors’ anger at the “obvious injustice of the verdict.”

Sasha Skochilenko, 33, a self-described pacifist, appeared in a St Petersburg court on 17 November after 19 months of pre-trial detention.

She was  charged last April  with discrediting Russia’s armed forces and spreading misinformation about the “special military operation”.

"The Russian army bombed an arts school in Mariupol. Some 400 people were hiding in it from the shelling," one replaced price tag read. Another said, "Russian conscripts are being sent to Ukraine. Lives of our children are the price of this war."

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