Unemployment Insurance

Unemployment Insurance is a government program that helps people who have lost their jobs. If you qualify, you will get weekly payments that can help pay your bills while you look for a new job. You can get unemployment if your hours were reduced or job was eliminated, or you were let go or had to leave work through not fault of your own.

Maine is an “at-will” employment state. Under this doctrine, an employer may terminate employment at any time for any reason, unless a law prohibits a specific reason. For example, firing based on race is still illegal.

For non-citizen workers, there may be shame attached to being terminated and fear that a termination makes them a “bad worker.” There may also be confusion over the terms, “fired,” “laid-off,” and “terminated.” Being laid off means your job was terminated through not fault of your own, and is not a reflection on the quality of your work. Someone who was laid-off, and often a person who is fired or terminated may still qualify for unemployment. Non-citizen workers should be kept informed of their ability to access unemployment insurance (UI).

The Maine.gov website also maintains an unemployment insurance guide in addition to the graphic below.