COVID-19 Unemployment Resources & Job Opportunities

Santa Clara county CAN (COVID-19 Assistance Navigation)

Workers seeking help finding benefits and financial assistance can call the newly created Santa Clara County CAN (COVID-19 Assistance Navigation) Hotline at 408-809-2124. 

The Santa Clara County Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) and the Fair Workplace Collaborative launched Santa Clara County CAN (COVID-19 Assistance Navigation) to assist workers impacted by COVID-19. 

Santa Clara County CAN Hotline: 408-809-2124
  • People who have questions about safety net benefits, EDD eligibility and application, or other coronavirus-related resources can call the hotline. Callers can leave a message in English, Español, or Tiếng Việt (with more languages to come) and a navigation manager will call them back within 24 hours.
OLSE Attorney Staffed Advice Line: 1-866-870-7725
  • This attorney-staffed line is available to workers seeking legal guidance for a potential violation of their rights in the workplace. This line is also available to businesses seeking compliance information. If a caller is unsure as to whether they need legal advice or not, they should call the CAN Hotline and a navigation manager can help make that determination and referral. The advice line provides advice in English, Español, or Tiếng Việt, 中文, Tagalog, and Visayan.
Both lines are being managed and staffed by the Fair Workplace Collaborative comprised of Working Partnerships USA, Vietnamese American Round Table, the Pilipino Association of Workers and Immigrants, the Day Worker Center of Mountain View, the Step Forward Foundation, the Enterprise Foundation, and the Latinx Business Council of Silicon Valley. For more information visit: www.SantaClaraCountyCAN.org.

Work2future

Local Workforce Development Board work2future helps Santa Clara County residents get the skills and coaching they need to find a new job, get a promotion, or start a new career. Their Career Centers have currently shifted from in-person services to remote assistance. Job seekers can visit work2future.org to find employers that are hiring, receive free training (including a metrics learning tool with over 5,000 classes), and enroll in and receive all work2future services online (workshops, career counseling, job search). ​
  • Looking for a job? Click here to see a list of opportunities from local employers looking to hire now
  • Career coaching: work2future client services are available by phone, email or video call.  current clients, please contact your career coach for more information. Book a Call
  • Online learning: Update your skills with Metrix online learning. open to all Santa Clara County residents courtesy of work2future.  register at http://bit.ly/skillupsanjose and select Sean Guess as your career coach.
  • OnwardCA is a resource that has been rapidly deployed by a broad coalition of companies, foundations, and humans who want to help. help you get money or groceries or child care; help you upskill, reskill, or refresh; and help you land a great new job.
  • A user-generated list indicating which employers are hiring, freezing hiring, or laying off supported by Candor.  (Information is not verified by Candor or work2future.)
  • For families: temporary financial assistance is available to low-income residents who have lost income and are unable to pay rent as a result of COVID-19. please call 408-780-9134 or email covid19help@sacredheartcs.org to apply.
  • For caregivers: if you’re unable to work because you are caring for an ill or quarantined family member with COVID-19 (certified by a medical professional), you can file a Paid Family Leave (PFL) claim. PFL provides up to six weeks of benefit payments at approximately 60-70 percent of wages.
    • If your child’s school is closed, and you have to miss work to be there for them, you may be eligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits. EDD representatives will decide if you are eligible.
  • For reduced work hours: if your employer has reduced your hours or shut down operations due to COVID-19, you can file an Unemployment Insurance (UI) claim.
  • For the sick or quarantined: if you’re unable to work due to having or being exposed to COVID-19 (certified by a medical professional), you can file a Disability Insurance (DI) claim which will provide short-term benefit payments at about 60-70% of wages.
    • If you were exposed to COVID-19 while on the job and in the course of your regular duties, you may qualify for worker's compensation
  • ​For the self-employed: you may have benefits available from EDD's Disability Insurance Elective Coverage (DIEC) program programs that you or your employer may have paid into over the past 5 to 18 months.​ The Presidential Disaster Declaration for California on May 22, 2020, makes Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) available for workers and self-employed people who do not qualify for regular UI benefits.
  • For Artists: 2020 SVArtist Relief Fund  $1,500 for individual artists who have lost income during the COVID 19 crisis due to canceled arts activities in Santa Clara County. Awards will be made on a rolling basis as funds become available. NOT CURRENTLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
    • Artist Relief: Artist Relief will distribute $5,000 grants to artists facing dire financial emergencies due to COVID-19

Other resources: 

Other Local Job opportunity resources

Unemployment Insurance Benefits

There are many resources available to San José residents who have lost their jobs or have reduced work hours due to COVID-19. Everyone who has been impacted by the pandemic should apply for Unemployment Insurance. Those who are self-employed, independent contractors and gig workers may now be eligible for Unemployment Insurance and are encouraged to apply.

  • To file an Unemployment Insurance claim online, visit the California Employment Development Department’s “Filing a Claim” website. You can also file by phone, mail or fax.
  • English 1-800-300-5616
  • Spanish 1-800-326-8937
  • Cantonese 1-800-547-3506
  • Mandarin 1-866-303-0706
  • Vietnamese 1-800-547-2058
  • TTY 1-800-815-9387
The Employment Development Department’s Unemployment Insurance webpage contains helpful information, including: Unemployed doesn’t mean uncared for. Filing for Unemployment Insurance can feel overwhelming, but there are many other resources available for San José residents to make the process easier, including: This information will also be included on the City’s Virtual Local Assistance Center, which is set to launch on the City’s website the week of April 20.
Under the federal CARES Act, Unemployment Insurance benefits have been expanded through several assistance programs, including:
  • The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, which provides up to 39 weeks of benefits to those who normally don’t qualify for Unemployment Insurance, such as independent contractors and gig workers
  • The Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program, which extends Unemployment Insurance benefits for up to 13 weeks for those who have exhausted benefits. (The Employment Development Department will start taking online applications for this program on April 28.)
  • The Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program, which provides an additional $600 per week in Unemployment Insurance benefits for the period of April 4, 2020, through July 31, 2020
If you have recently become unemployed, you may have questions regarding food security, evictions, and available jobs. The following resources are available to you to help answer these questions: