Slow season and layoffs: what unemployment insurance pages say in the US, Canada, UK and New Zealand

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It describes benefit pages. It does not say who qualifies, what a claim will pay or whether a claim will succeed, and each office decides that on its own rules. How seasonal the trade is appears on the page is arborist work seasonal.

United States

The Department of Labor page on unemployment insurance says each state administers a separate unemployment insurance program, in a joint arrangement with the federal government, and that the programs provide benefits to eligible workers who become unemployed through no fault of their own. It says each state sets its own eligibility guidelines, and that eligibility also depends on other requirements. It says work and wage requirements are measured over a "base period", usually the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before a claim is filed. On where to claim, it says a claim is generally filed with the unemployment insurance program of the state where the person worked. If a person worked in more than one state, or in a state other than the one they live in, the page says the agency in the state of residence can explain how to file elsewhere.

Canada

Service Canada's page on Employment Insurance (EI) regular benefits says EI provides regular benefits to people who lose their jobs through no fault of their own and are available for and able to work but cannot find a job. It gives seasonal or mass lay-offs as examples of the job losses that qualify, alongside shortage of work. The page says to apply as soon as work stops, and that a person who delays filing a claim for more than 4 weeks after the last day of work may lose benefits. The rules on hours and on how much is paid sit on linked pages, not on this one. The page carries the date June 2, 2026.

United Kingdom

GOV.UK describes New Style Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) as help for people looking for work, and says a person could get Universal Credit at the same time or instead. It says income-based JSA can no longer be applied for. It lists the steps: check eligibility, make a claim and go to an interview at the local Jobcentre Plus office, then keep to an agreement to look for work called the Claimant Commitment. It says payments are reduced or stopped if the person does not keep to the agreement and cannot give a good reason.

The page gives the maximum weekly amounts by age: up to £75.65 for those up to 24, and up to £95.55 for those 25 or over. It says JSA can be paid for up to 182 days, about 6 months, after which a person can talk to a work coach about options. It says there may be a wait of up to 7 days after applying for the JSA to start, and up to 2 weeks after that for a first payment. The GOV.UK passages in this section are adapted under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

New Zealand

Work and Income describes Jobseeker Support as a weekly payment that helps people while they are looking for work or cannot work for the time being. It says whether a person can get it depends on age, ability to work, income including a partner's income, and residency status. On age it says the person must be 18 or older, or 20 or older with dependent children. On ability to work it lists being unemployed and looking for full-time work, being in part-time employment and looking for more work, or needing to reduce working hours or stop work for a while because of a health condition, injury or disability. It says a full-time student cannot get it. It adds that the person must meet obligations while getting the benefit and must re-apply every 26 weeks if still in need.

At a glance

Country	Benefit named	Who runs it
United States	State unemployment insurance	Each state, under federal guidelines
Canada	EI regular benefits; seasonal lay-offs named	Service Canada
United Kingdom	New Style JSA, up to 182 days	Jobcentre Plus
New Zealand	Jobseeker Support, re-apply every 26 weeks	Work and Income