Community Navigators Can Increase Access to Unemployment Benefits and New Jobs While Building Worker Power

Unemployment insurance (UI) benefits do not reach all eligible workers, even though they are designed to support unemployed workers and their families, as well as the economy as a whole, during economic downturns. Access to UI benefits has been a challenge for all workers, but especially workers of color, workers with less formal education, lower-paid workers, younger workers, and workers with disabilities, who have all been less likely to apply for, and receive, benefits, even when potentially eligible.

Community-based organizations—particularly those focused on worker issues and led by workers, such as unions and worker centers—can act as trusted intermediaries to help workers interact with government employees and systems to better understand how to complete applications and claim benefits. Through this process, workers can also learn about their labor and employment rights and develop stronger interests in workplace collective action.