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In current economic conditions, getting a pink slip can be disheartening, but it will rarely come as a tremendous shock. No company is safe from the downsizing or restructuring – and every employee should have a basic understanding about unemployment benefits. Furthermore, it would be wise to learn the rules of unemployment eligibility and the size of such benefits prior to moving to another location, as they can vary rather significantly from state to state. We have compiled a list of the best cities for unemployment benefits to give you a better idea of what to expect.

Unemployment Benefits
When calculating the size of a particular unemployment benefit package, it is necessary to take into account the cost of living in a particular area – if John Doe from a neighboring state receives $100 less per week than you in his unemployment benefits, but your cost of living is much higher, does that mean that you got a better deal? Definitely not! Here is the list of cities that are the best to live in from the aspect of unemployment eligibility, with a previous annual salary of $150,000:

1. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: maximum unemployment benefit – $547 per week, cost of living – $59,732
2. Providence, Rhode Island: $641 and $80,144 respectively
3. Charlotte, North Carolina: $476 and $61,956 respectively
4. Boston, Massachusetts: $628 and $87,668 respectively
5. Raleigh, North Carolina: $476 and $66,732 respectively
6. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: $547 and $80,209 respectively
7. Seattle, Washington: $541 and $79,490 respectively
8. San Antonio, Texas: $392 and $57,965 respectively
9. Houston, Texas: $392 and $59,077 respectively
10. Salt Lake City, Utah: $427 and $64,573 respectively

  
As you can clearly see, bigger unemployment benefits do not always mean a better deal, as they are frequently offset by a higher cost of living.

Unemployment Benefits Eligibility
As soon as you join the ranks of the unemployed, you should visit your state Unemployment Office to find out if you are eligible for unemployment benefits. Unemployment eligibility can differ significantly from state to state. For instance, Georgia allows those looking for part-time work to collect benefits and offers extra benefit weeks to those undertaking job training. In contrast, none of these possibilities exist in Arizona, but this particular state extends unemployment benefits eligibility to those who leave work due to a relocation of the spouse, domestic violence, disability or illness.

Do not be surprised that unemployment eligibility may appear startlingly scanty or generous – the safety net can be truly diverse and sometimes there is no apparent reason for it. This is because the U.S. Department of Labor is responsible for overseeing the system, but each State administers its own unemployment benefits program. However, there are some commonalities as well. To qualify for unemployment benefits, you usually must have worked recently for a covered employer for a certain period of time and earned a certain amount of income. These factors vary in different states. However, you should not be worried – around 97 percent of all wage and salary workers, as well as 89 percent of the civilian labor force have unemployment benefits eligibility.

States usually have rather complex methods for determining if you are eligible for an unemployment benefit. These are the factors that are most commonly used:

• data on recent employment and earnings;
• ability and motivation to seek (and accept if found) suitable employment;
• possible disqualifications connected to your latest job separation or offer refusal.

As a general rule, you should always check with your state Unemployment Office for reliable information on the unemployment benefits you may be eligible for. After all, knowing how to make the best of being unemployed is very important, don’t you agree?

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