Each state manages an unemployment insurance program and pays money directly to people who qualify for the benefits. Instead of a paycheck, they get a smaller unemployment check from the government each week. Only workers who have been laid off can receive unemployment insurance. Workers who quit voluntarily, retire, or who are fired are ineligible for the program. Laid off workers in most states can receive unemployment benefits for up to 26 weeks. In states with higher unemployment rates, this eligibility period may be longer. The unemployment benefits for those who had an average income before losing their job is about one third of their gross pay. Most workers find new jobs or are recalled by their old employers several weeks after they begin receiving unemployment benefits. A survey of unemployed workers, conducted in 1991, found that when looking for a new job many unemployed workers wanted a higher wage than they had been receiving at their old job. Unemployment benefits gave these workers longer to find a job with better pay.