The number of earnings-related allowance recipients at A-kassa has been on a clear downward trajectory in early 2025. From January to March, the number of recipients stood significantly below corresponding 2024 figures. A total of 32,876 members received earnings-related allowance in January, 30,983 in February and 30,668 in March. The number of recipients has remained 5.4% to 8% below the 2024 figures of the same period. It appears, however, that the downward trend is coming to an end in April. By mid-April, a total of 21,345 members have received earnings-related allowance, a 1.3% increase from mid-March. This may indicate that the downward trend in the number of recipients is tapering off.
The share of earnings-related allowance recipients in A-kassa’s entire membership has persisted at about 12% throughout early 2025. Meanwhile, the general unemployment rate in Finland has remained at 9.7%, up approximately 1.5% from the same period a year before.
Industries display major differences in number of earnings-related allowance recipients
A deeper dive into A-kassa’s partner unions’ numbers reveals that there are significant differences in the share of earnings-related allowance recipients between unions. According to March statistics, the largest share of recipients in relation to member base size was at the Finnish Actors Union, with 23% of their A-kassa members receiving earnings-related allowance. A-kassa members from the Finnish Construction Trade Union had the second most recipients, with 22.2% receiving earnings-related allowance. The Trade Union for Theatre and Media Finland came in third, with 13.2% of their A-kassa members receiving earnings-related allowance.
Lay-off numbers trending down
The number of recipients of lay-off period daily allowance has also been on a steady decline since the beginning of the year. Standing at 43.2% in January, the share of laid-off persons of all earnings-related allowance recipients was down to 39.3% by the end of March. In April, the decline appears to be steepening slightly; midway through the month, a total of 34% of recipients have received lay-off period daily allowance. There was a similar decline from January to March last year, but the share of laid-off persons persisted at over 40% at the time. In April, the number had again climbed to 44%.
Application numbers and payment amounts down
We received a total of 42,244 earnings-related allowance applications in January–March, down approximately 5% from the same period last year. The majority of the applications (61.8%) were follow-up applications. Applications for adjusted allowance made up 31.9% and first-time applications made up 6.4% of all applications received.
The total amount of earnings-related allowances paid out went down considerably, as much as 10.6% from the same period last year, totalling 133.4 million euros at the end of March. Average number of payout days has slightly decreased since the start of the year. In January, the number of payout days totalled 19.7, going down to 17.8 days in March. Compared to the same period last year, the number of payout days remained practically unchanged.
