Any employee who has worked for their employer for a least 20 weeks in the current or previous calendar year, (or who receive a wage of more than $1,500 from their employer during any calendar quarter of the current or preceding calendar year), is eligible for unemployment benefit. Since unemployment is defined as ‘losing a job through no fault of your own’, if an employee voluntarily leaves their jobs (quits) or is fired for just cause they will not be eligible for unemployment benefit. Self-employed individuals and independent contractors are not eligible for unemployment benefit.