Looking for a new job is a process. Sending a job application is just one step in that process and just one of the activities you will need to do when looking for work.
Other types of job search activities (‘sollicitatieactiviteiten’) that count towards your job search requirement include the following:
- applying for a job (including via an employment agency or a website)
- attending a job interview
- posting your CV on a job search website
- signing up to an employment agency or staffing pool
- phoning an employer to ask about potential job opportunities
- visiting an employer to ask about potential job opportunities
- doing an assessment or a test for a specific job
- contacting people in your network and exploring job opportunities with them
- attending a workshop on how to look for a job (an UWV webinar or training course also counts as a workshop. Make sure you specify the title of the UWV course or webinar you followed)
Please note: Looking at vacancies on a job search website does not count as one of your job search activities.
Most of the time, you will make an agreement with your UWV employment adviser (‘UWV adviseur werk’) about how many job search activities you should carry out every 4 weeks. As a general rule, you should complete 4 activities in every 4-week period.
Make sure you keep evidence of your job search activities for up to 2 years, including invitations to job interviews or requests to carry out tests related to applications. It is important that you can provide proof of your job search activities at any time.
At the moment, we are doing a trial. If we ask you to take part in this trial, you will either be assigned a task in your Work Folder (‘Werkmap’) or you will receive a letter from us. If you participate in the trial, other rules will apply to you than those mentioned above.
When we talk about a job that is a good fit (‘passend werk’), we mean any work that matches your skills and level of education, as well as your experience and salary expectations. If you have not managed to find this type of work within the first 6 months of receiving an unemployment benefit, you will be expected to accept any work you can get. This could mean jobs that require a lower level of education, pay less, are part-time, are temporary or have a longer travel time.
If you turn down a job that we think matches your skills, experience and expectations, your benefit might be reduced or even stopped.
During the first 6 months that you are receiving an unemployment benefit, you should apply for jobs that have a travel time of 2 hours maximum per day. After 6 months, this increases to 3 hours maximum per day. Keep in mind that if you had to travel more than 2 hours for your previous job, this will be considered an appropriate amount of travel time in your search for a new job. If you have been unemployed for a long time and you find a job in another region, you will usually have to accept this work, even if it means relocating.
While receiving an unemployment benefit, you can still apply for temporary work. Temporary work also includes short-term jobs that only last a few days or weeks. In these situations, your benefit might be temporarily reduced or stopped. This means we may adjust your unemployment benefit to reflect your temporary income.
You will not have to meet the job search requirement in the following situations:
- You will reach the state pension age (‘AOW-leeftijd’) within 1 year.
- You are unavailable while taking your entitled holiday allowance.
- You are following a course that we have established will help you re-enter the workforce.
- You are doing a trial work placement and have permission to keep your unemployment benefit while completing it.
- You have our permission to start your own business.
- You are experiencing an unexpected crisis in your personal life, such as the death of someone close to you.
- You are caring for someone close to you, and the care you are providing is essential, requiring more time and energy than the standard care for someone who is ill.