In an effort to combat unemployment fraud, Pennsylvania lawmakers are cracking down on those who skip job interviews. The state's Senate Department of Labor and Industry Committee recently voted unanimously to impose stricter penalties on individuals who receive unemployment benefits but fail to show up for job interviews, a practice known as "ghosting."
The committee's chair, Senator Devlin Robinson, explained that the move came in response to complaints from employers about potential employees not showing up for scheduled interviews. Under the proposed changes, individuals who ghost employers would lose their eligibility to receive unemployment benefits.
The changes are part of Senate Bill 1109, which is expected to undergo further modifications when it returns to the House for review. The bill's provisions aim to make Pennsylvanians more attractive to employers and improve workforce development programs.
The bill also proposes the use of existing data to help local development boards analyze programs and policies more efficiently. The Department of Labor and Industry and the Center for Workforce Information and Analysis would be required to share already collected workforce data on wages, new hires, and unemployment claimants with local workforce development boards.
Senator Camera Bartolotta, the bill's sponsor, believes that sharing data more efficiently will allow local workforce development boards to measure the success and shortcomings of specific programs. This, in turn, will enable them to adjust programs to more effectively connect people with family-sustaining jobs while promoting the responsible use of tax dollars.
The bill, having received committee support, now moves to the full Senate for consideration.