Schedule changes and other changes at the turn of the year
The Finnish Food Workers’ Unemployment Fund will merge with A-kassa on 1 January 2024. This will cause a break in benefit payments and an eService outage at the turn of the year to allow for system updates. It will also lead to temporary changes in benefit payment schedules and service hours. eServices unavailable from […]
The Open Unemployment Fund will strengthen its position at the beginning of next year
A-kassa Open Unemployment Fund is the third-largest unemployment fund in Finland. A-kassa currently has over 228,000 members and will gain an additional 17,000 members when the Finnish Food Workers’ Unemployment Fund merges with A-kassa at the turn of the year. A-Kassa is a multi-sectoral unemployment fund open to all wage and salary earners. Already […]
Sharp increase in November 2023 earnings-related unemployment allowance recipients compared to last year
The number of recipients of A-kassa’s earnings-related unemployment allowance has continued to rise since July, and towards the end of the year the increase has become even steeper. In November, 23,739 members received earnings-related unemployment allowance, which is 11.8% more than in October and as much as 38.8% more than in the same period last […]
Which areas of income security will change at the start of 2024?
The current Finnish Government’s first set of unemployment security reforms will take effect at the turn of the year if the changes of the law are approved. The changes will affect the Unemployment Security Act, which also governs unemployment funds. The reformed act is due to take effect on 1 January 2024. Let’s review the […]
Do you know the 200-day layoff rule?
An employee who is laid off for at least 200 consecutive days is entitled to terminate their employment without forfeiting their salary for the notice period. The employment ends on the date of termination. The employee is entitled to compensation from their employer in the same amount as their salary for the notice period. […]
Open Unemployment Fund’s membership fee remains unchanged
The Open Unemployment Fund’s (A-kassa) membership fee will stay at 8 euros per month in 2024. This means that there will be no changes to the amount of the fee. The Financial Supervisory Authority approved the proposal of the Open Unemployment Fund’s board of directors that the membership fee will be 8 euros a […]
Impact of part-time work on earnings-related unemployment allowance
The types and forms of work have become more diverse. More people are doing jobs with varying working hours, and some work without an employment relationship. As new technologies arise, they are introducing entirely new types of work. Nevertheless, a lot of work is still done full-time in employment relationships with fixed working hours and […]
The opening hours of A-kassa’s telephone service will change starting September 1.
Starting from 1.9. A-kassa’s telephone service is open as follows: Mon. 8.30-15.00 Tue. 8.30-15.00 Wed. 8.30-12.00 Thu. 8.30-12.00 Fri. 8.30-12.00 Chat opening hours are expanding eService’s chat is open every weekday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. You can access eService’s chat by logging into your own eService. In the chat, our customer service representatives […]
Have you already taken into use the eService’s electronic decision and payment notifications?
By ordering the electronic decision from the eService you can have it immediately at your disposal when the application has been processed and the decision for earnings-related allowance has been given. In this case, the decision will not be sent by mail. It is also possible to order a payment notification as a text message […]
Did you know these? – Facts about unemployment security
Unemployment security refers to financial support that you receive during unemployment or temporary lay-off. You can apply for unemployment security either from an unemployment fund, if you are a member of an unemployment fund, or from Kela. You are obliged to actively seek work during your unemployment. When to apply for support from an […]
Time limits to keep in mind
There are many things to keep in mind and remember to do during the application process when applying for earnings-related allowance. Many things have a certain amount of time, during which or by which they must be done. Some time limits are very specific, while others are a bit more flexible. To make it easier […]
Number of earnings-related allowance applications starts to rise
The number of earnings-related unemployment allowance applications picked up slightly after the downward trend in the summer. In July, the Open Unemployment Fund A-kassa received 24,208 earnings-related allowance applications, which was 9% more than in June. Of the applications received, 8.4% were first-time applications, 29.8% were follow-up applications for adjusted allowance, and 61.7% were follow-up […]
Things to keep in mind when your summer job ends
If you joined an unemployment fund during your summer job, it is a good idea to remain a member even after your summer job has ended. Even short-term jobs will help you qualify for earnings-related unemployment allowance. To be entitled to earnings-related unemployment allowance, your employment history does not need to be continuous, but you […]
A-kassa described as reliable
In spring 2023, the Open Unemployment Fund A-kassa conducted a member satisfaction survey, in which members described A-kassa as a reliable unemployment fund above all. The purpose of the survey was to find out how satisfied the members are with the way A-kassa operates and to collect development ideas from them. We were pleased […]
There was a disturbance in the electronic forms on the website
There were technical problems with the electronic forms on the Open Unemployment Fund’s website. It was possible fill out the forms and press the Send button, but the forms didn’t arrive to Unemployment Fund and gave an error message. The error message appears on the screen in the same place as the sending confirmation, so […]
Fewer people applying for earnings-related unemployment allowance during summer
In June, the Open Unemployment Fund A-kassa received 22,162 earnings-related unemployment allowance applications. The number was over 20% lower than in May. In May, the number of applications received was also lower than in the previous month, so the trend towards summer is declining. Of the June applications, 8.1% were first-time applications. The number of […]
Unemployment security for young summer workers
Summer is the time when many young people start paid work for the first time. Unemployment insurance is often not the first thing on your mind, but it is a good idea to join an unemployment fund as soon as you turn 18 so that you can, for example, accumulate entitlement to an earnings-related daily […]
Checklist for the summer – annual holidays, midweek public holidays, and other matters relevant to unemployment security
As summer arrives, it is good to refresh your memory about how you accrue annual holiday, how this affects your daily allowance, and how you fill in the application. Our website provides instructions on filling in your first application, whether you are laid off, entirely unemployed, or working part-time. If you are entirely unemployed, the […]
Finnish Food Workers’ Unemployment Fund will merge to Open Unemployment Fund
Finnish Food Workers’ Unemployment Fund will merge with the Open Unemployment Fund A-kassa at the beginning of next year. The decision to merge was approved at the meeting of the Open Unemployment Fund, 26 May 2023. The Finnish Food Workers’ Unemployment Fund made a positive decision earlier, on 22 May 2023. The merger is scheduled […]
Does a partial early old-age pension affect the earnings-related allowance?
As a rule, a partial early old-age pension does not affect earnings-related unemployment allowance. In other words, the pension is not a benefit that prevents you from receiving earnings-related unemployment allowance and is not deducted from the allowance. However, a partial early old-age pension may have an impact on the amount of full earnings-related unemployment […]
