I'm working a job, and we've just been told that our contract is up at the end of the month and isn't being renewed. (I'm an employee of the company, not a contractor.) When the contract ends, I'll be laid off as there will be nothing else for me to do.

However. I've been told that there is another, totally different job in the company that they really want me in. Final salary hasn't been set yet, but it's looking like the pay would even out to what I'm making now on a weekly basis, but I would be working many more hours for that same money. Unless there's a significant change in the potentially offered salary, after factoring in extra transportation money, I will be making less at this new, different, job but working 10 more hours a week.

I'm not inclined to take a more involved job for less money.

What I'd like to know, is: is there a difference in terms of my unemployment insurance claim between me deciding to "refuse" the other job, and me allowing myself to be laid of and "not applying" to the other job?

In other words: if I'm not okay with doing much more for much less, can I get laid off, turn down the other job and still collect unemployment? Or does the fact that I turned down an unacceptable job offer reflect on my claim in some way?