Browsing AlaskaJobs as a guest can cost you UI benefits

Unemployed Alaskans who browse the state's job portal as a guest, instead of registering, can lose their benefits without realizing it — and the state has posted a warning to that effect.

The catch is in the fine print of filing for unemployment. Under state rules, anyone who files a claim must register with AlaskaJobs and post an online resume within seven days. Logging in as a "guest user" doesn't count — and missing the deadline is costly. A claimant who registers late is considered available for work only from the week they finally register, so any benefits for the weeks before that are simply gone.

A banner now on the AlaskaJobs home page puts it plainly: "Some unemployment insurance (UI) claimants must register in this system to continue to be eligible for UI benefits; entering the system as a guest user does not satisfy that requirement."

Not everyone has to register. The state can defer the requirement for certain claimants — among them those due back at work within 45 days, workers idled by a labor dispute, people relocating out of state, and those normally hired through a union.