The effect of the fee for managing election duties on the earnings-related daily allowance
Regional and municipal elections are approaching and with them you may work in the elections as an election official or a vote counter. These jobs are related to taking care of public duties, which should be separated from actual fiduciary duties. If you are getting earnings-related daily allowance and you work as an election official […]
Member story Kari Muhli – Security and support for life’s turning points
Kari Muhli, 61, is a seasoned professional who has had a versatile career as an industrial painter and a master car painter. An unemployment fund member since 1987, Muhli has accumulated experience over an extended period of time. In 1987, Kari joined an unemployment fund on an acquaintance’s recommendation. The decision turned out to be […]
Number of recipients of earnings-related allowance remained consistent
In August, the number of recipients of earnings-related allowance at the Open Unemployment Fund remained consistent with the previous month. In August, 8.9% of A-kassa members received earnings-related allowance. In July, the number was 8.8%. However, of all recipients of earnings-related allowance, the share of lay-off period daily allowance recipients kept going down. At the […]
Changes to unemployment security for older jobseekers
When comparing the age distribution of A-kassa member beneficiaries in relation to the overall member age distribution, we see that unemployment is more prominent among older members. For older jobseekers, the situation became increasingly difficult in the beginning of September as a legislative amendment came into effect, removing the age-related exemption rules for unemployment security. […]
When is the qualifying period set?
Before any daily allowance can be paid, a qualifying period needs to be set. The qualifying period is seven unemployment days or an equivalent time period, and it must be fulfilled within eight consecutive calendar weeks. The TE Office must likewise have you registered as a jobseeker during the qualifying period. A maximum of five […]
Fast and reliable – A-kassa’s member survey 2024 indicates member satisfaction
A-kassa has completed its annual member satisfaction survey, this time targeted to members that have received benefits between May, 2023 and April, 2024. The study was designed to assess fund members’ satisfaction with the fund’s operations and collect ideas for improvement. Our survey received an impressive total of 4,154 responses, so a warm thank you […]
Government Programme reforms to unemployment security
Programme of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s Government was published on 16 June 2023 and it also included many changes to earnings-related security. The law will not change immediately, and the amendments will need to undergo legislative drafting before entering into force. Not all of the stated policies will necessarily be implemented as entered in the […]
Four common misconceptions about unemployment security
For many, unemployment security is something that they do not read up on until they are unemployed or laid off. However, to be entitled to an earnings-related unemployment allowance, you must have joined an nemployment fund in advance. We interviewed Kaisa Tikka, Benefits Manager of A-kassa, about the topic, and we will now take a look at […]
Number of earnings-related allowance recipients increased, especially in Pirkanmaa
The Open Unemployment Fund recorded a significant increase in the number of earnings-related allowance recipients during the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period last year. Looking at the numbers regionally, the largest increases occurred in Pirkanmaa (72%), Central Ostrobothnia (66%), Kanta-Häme (65%) and South Ostrobothnia (65%) during January–March. The number of […]
Supplementary amount removed at the start of 2025
Currently, the supplementary amount is payable with earnings-related allowance if the unemployed person participates in a service promoting employment. Recently, the government decided in its session on spending limits that the supplementary amount will be removed on January 1, 2025. The supplementary amount is available for a maximum of 200 days. To be entitled […]
Right to earnings-related allowance during a strike
Updated March 26, 2024 How is a political strike accounted for in employment security? The political strikes that started on March 11, 2024, are somewhat exceptional compared to previous strikes. The situation is currently generally interpreted as an ‘implementation.’ Please see our guidelines below in section “Was your work interrupted due to industrial action […]
Working in the maritime sector and submitting a tax card
Those working in the maritime sector must submit a change tax card to the unemployment fund for the benefit from the beginning of February. The tax card for maritime income may not be used to pay the benefit. Because of this, the tax information is not transferred to the A-kassa’s system. If the unemployment fund […]
Deliver the tax card to the Open Unemployment Fund – see detailed instructions
As a general rule, the unemployment fund receives tax withholding information directly from the Tax Administration as of 1 of February 2024. It is not necessary to send paper versions of tax cards that are meant for salary or revised tax cards meant for benefits to the unemployment fund. Withholding rate from benefits is always […]
Now you can track the progress of your application in the eService
eService is the best service channel for managing your benefit matters. Applications and attachments sent electronically via the eService are transferred securely to the fund system and are quickly available to us for processing. The eService has multiple features to make using the service easier, and now the service will be even better, as you […]
Have you remembered to check the income limit on your tax card?
If your earnings exceed the income limit towards the end of the year, the unemployment fund benefit is also taxed at a higher additional rate instead of the standard rate. You can check your current income limit at the Tax Administration’s MyTax service (the link takes you to the Tax Administration’s website). If […]
How Netta, Santtu and Adem coped with unemployment
Unemployment can be a big blow to your personal finances, but it’s possible to prepare for it in ways that make the drop in income easier to manage. We often don’t think about the importance of unemployment security until unemployment affects us personally. Financial security brings peace of mind, and at its best, unemployment security […]
Dreaming of a career abroad? Unemployment allowance can help you achieve that
If your dream is to work abroad, you should check whether you can go job-seeking abroad and continue to receive earnings-related unemployment allowance at the same time. You can go on a job-seeking trip to another EU country for a period of up to three months. You can receive an earnings-related unemployment allowance from your […]
The share of temporarily laid-off persons increased in September – number of persons waiting to be temporarily laid-off on the rise
In September, the number of applicants receiving earnings-related unemployment allowance from A-Kassa Open Unemployment Fund was 19,169. Compared to August, the increase was only less than 200 applicants. However, the increase was 24.8 per cent compared to September 2022. Compared to the previous month, the share of temporarily laid-off persons was clearly increased. In September, […]
Preliminary schedule for the changes in legislation on unemployment security
Several changes in the legislation on unemployment security will enter into force next year. The changes are being prepared in two packages. Information on all of the changes in legislation can be found here. Feedback statements on the draft government proposal related to the first package of legislative changes were collected in early September. A-kassa […]
Amount of earnings-related unemployment allowance paid out on the rise
In August, the Open Unemployment Fund paid our 5.6 million euros more in earnings-related unemployment allowances than in July. Compared to 2022, the increase is 6 million euros. The number of recipients of earnings-related unemployment allowance grew by 16.2% from the previous year. In August, the Open Unemployment Fund paid earnings-related unemployment allowance to […]