Unemployment and lay-offs may pose challenges to personal finances. Saving money is a good way to prepare for unexpected expenses. However, it is advisable to consider other means of preparation as well.
— As an unemployment fund member, your unemployment benefit is tied to the income you received before you became unemployed. This makes the income reduction less severe. Without a fund membership, you have to depend on Kela’s subsidies, ” says Päivi Äijälä, Benefits Director at the Open Unemployment Fund.
In addition to earnings-related allowance, unemployment funds also provide help for finding new work. In other words, they are no longer only about income security. For A-kassa members, job search support services are included in the membership fee and available right from the start of the membership. In other words, you do not need to be unemployed or laid off in order to utilise the services.
Earnings-related allowance, the most important fund benefit
Only a member of an unemployment fund may receive earnings-related allowance, which is based on their actual income level. If you are not a fund member and become unemployed, you receive Kela’s basic unemployment allowance – approximately €800 a month. The difference between earnings-related allowance and basic unemployment allowance can be considerable. For instance, with a monthly gross salary of 3,000 euros, the difference is nearly a thousand euros per month. You can apply for adjusted daily allowance if you work part-time.
Calculate your earnings-related allowance
Daily allowance calculator
You are eligible for earnings-related allowance only when your unemployment fund membership has continued for a required period of time before your unemployment or lay-off. Therefore, it is recommended that you join a fund now when:
- You are employed and receive salary
- You are not yet unemployed or laid off
— Many are surprised that they cannot join a fund after they have become unemployed. It is a good idea to join a fund at the start of your career, even if the work is on-call or part-time work, Äijälä cautions.
It is also advisable to retain your unemployment fund membership when starting your military service or taking parental leave.
— We recommend that you always check with the fund how the membership termination impacts you to avoid any unforeseen issues with your unemployment security,” Äijälä concludes.
Read also about Mobility allowance
Job search support services help in career planning and finding new work
Many are still unaware of the fact that unemployment funds also provide help for finding employment. Currently, A-kassa services include the following:
– An AI-boosted EmploymentWizard which helps you find jobs and create application documents while providing a safe way to engage in discussion with AI regarding your personal job-seeking challenges.
– Webinars on subjects related to finding employment
Read more about our job search support services
Switching funds is easy
If you are already a member of a fund, switching to A-kassa is easy. Any accumulated conditions are preserved, as long as the gap between fund memberships does not exceed one month.
Affordable membership, valuable security
- Fund membership only costs €8 per month
- Membership fee is tax-deductible
- Earnings-related allowance also affects your pension accrual – unlike Kela’s benefits
- A-kassa is open to all industries – you can join regardless of your field of work
- As a member, all job search support services offered by the fund are immediately at your disposal
It is easy to join: Become a member
Complement your A-kassa membership by joining the trade union of your industry. Trade unions provide security for working life, we at A-kassa for unemployment. Many trade unions include A-kassa membership in their membership fee. Check with your trade union.
Why A-kassa?
- 📌Open Unemployment Fund A-kassa
- Over 243,500 members
- Membership fee €8/mo
- 12 partner unions, many with A-kassa membership included in their membership fee
- High-quality job search support services with one membership fee
- Multi-trade unemployment fund