Inside Report (2)

Should out-of-work skilled workers be forced to take minimum-wage, unskilled jobs in order to keep their jobless benefits?

Business interests advising the Reagan administration are arguing ''yes.'' The reason: With rising joblessness, some states' reserves for paying weekly unemployment benefits are critically low. A number have had to borrow from federal funds. In response, unemployment compensation taxes on employers have shot up in some states, upsetting businesses.

Meanwhile, ''help wanted'' columns in newspapers are swollen by job openings for low-wage, unskilled workers. State and local unemployment officials complain that applicants for benefits are ''too choosy.''

The administration has not yet revealed its plans, but the AFL-CIO is worried that conservative business interests will win out and force a tightening of federal policy on benefits.m