• About
    • About EPI
    • Events
    • Newsroom
    • Careers
    • Staff
    • Board of Directors
    • Academic Advisory Board
    • Newsletter
    • Contact Us
    • Why Give to EPI
    • Donate
  • Areas of Research
    • Budget, Taxes, and Public Investment
    • Child Labor
    • Federal Policy Watch
    • Economic Growth
    • Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy
    • Education
    • Health
    • Inequality and Poverty
    • Jobs and Unemployment
    • Minimum Wage
    • Immigration
    • Regulation
    • Retirement
    • Unions and Labor Standards
    • Trade and Globalization
    • Wages, Incomes, and Wealth
    • View all
  • Publications
  • Data Library
  • Experts
  • Resources
    • Federal Policy Watch
      • How many federal workers live in your state?
    • Family Budget Calculator
    • Child care costs in the United States
    • Economic Indicators
      • Jobs and Unemployment
      • State Jobs and Unemployment
      • State Unemployment by Race and Ethnicity
      • JOLTS
      • Minimum Wage Tracker
      • Nominal Wage Tracker
      • Low Wage Workforce Tracker
      • Company Wage Tracker
      • GDP
      • Income & Poverty
      • Productivity–Pay Gap
    • Anti-racist Policy Research
    • Immigrant workers + your state factsheets
    • Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN)
      • EARNCon 2025
      • EARNCon Sponsorship
    • U.S. workers’ rights preemption map
    • Tax & Spending Explorer
    • Multimedia
    • Projects
      • State of Working America
      • Inequality.is
      • Building Worker Power
    • Social Media Toolkit
    • View all
  • Blog
  • Donate

PDF: Hide page numbers

  • Section 2. Financing: Reform financing of UI to eliminate incentives for states and employers to exclude workers and reduce benefits

    June 24, 2021
  • Introduction: Why now is the time to fix the UI system

    June 24, 2021
  • Section 1. Universal standards: Guarantee universal minimum standards for benefits eligibility, duration, and levels, with states free to enact more expansive benefits

    June 24, 2021
  • Primer: How the unemployment insurance system operates

    June 24, 2021
  • Statement of the problem: Why unemployment insurance reform is needed

    June 24, 2021
  • Section 5. Benefit levels: Increase UI benefits to levels working families can survive on

    June 24, 2021
  • Executive summary: Reforming unemployment insurance

    June 24, 2021
  • Section 4. Benefit duration: Expand UI benefit duration to provide longer protection during normal times and use better measures of labor market distress to automatically extend and sustain benefits during downturns

    June 24, 2021
  • Appendix table: How proposed UI reforms correct flaws in current policy

    June 24, 2021
  • Reforming unemployment insurance: Stabilizing a system in crisis and laying the foundation for equity

    June 24, 2021 Report
Page 1 of 212

EPI is an independent, nonprofit think tank that researches the impact of economic trends and policies on working people in the United States. EPI’s research helps policymakers, opinion leaders, advocates, journalists, and the public understand the bread-and-butter issues affecting ordinary Americans.

Follow EPI

1225 Eye St. NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 202-775-8810 • epi@epi.org
© 2025 Economic Policy Institute
Privacy Policy • Contact Us

Projects
State of Working America Data Library

Authoritative, up-to-date data on the living standards of American workers.

Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy • PREE

Exploring how race, ethnicity, and class intersect to affect economic outcomes in the United States.

Unequal Power

There’s an inherent imbalance of bargaining power between employers and employees. Here's how it impacts your workplace—and our democracy.

Policy Agenda

Policy choices have tilted the playing field toward the rich and corporations. Here's how to tilt it back.

Tax & Spending Explorer

How do taxes and spending work, and where do you fit in?

Inequality.is

Interactive tools and videos bringing clarity to the national dialogue on economic inequality.


Affiliated programs
Economic Analysis and Research Network • EARN

A network of state and local organizations improving workers' lives through research and advocacy.

About EPI

Staff
Board of Directors
Jobs at EPI
Contact us
Why give to EPI
Newsroom
Newsletter
Events
Donate


The Economic Policy Institute staff is unionized with the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union.