Paid absences and midweek holidays when completing an earnings-related unemployment allowance application
Entering midweek holidays in the application Earnings-related unemployment allowance can be paid for midweek holidays (arkipyhä) during a temporary lay-off on the same grounds as other days of lay-off, if you are not entitled to full pay for the midweek holiday. Different sectors have different practices for compensating employees for midweek holidays: separate midweek holiday […]
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 […]
Unemployment security weakens but unemployment fund membership benefits remain
Amendments and cuts to unemployment security raise questions on whether fund membership is worthwhile in the future. As the legislative amendments will decrease the earnings-related allowance paid out during unemployment or a lay-off period, bringing it closer to the basic unemployment allowance by Kela, many are pondering whether their fund membership is still worth it. […]
Number of laid-off persons dropped considerably in June
In mid-June, the number of recipients of earnings-related allowance dropped at A-kassa Open Unemployment Fund by more than 20% compared to mid-May, and this discrepancy persisted until the end of the month. In June, a total of 22,561 members, or 9.3%, received earnings-related allowance. The share of lay-off period daily allowance recipients stood at over […]
Get familiar with our terminology
Unemployment security comes with many special terms, each with a very specific meaning. For instance, a ‘calendar month’ and a ‘month’ may seem like the same thing but in unemployment security they have a slightly different meaning. Term definitions help you understand how matters related to income security are processed. Below, we have collected a […]
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 […]
Child increment will be removed in April
The Government’s legislative change to remove the child increment completely will take effect on 1 April 2024. This means that the unemployment benefits paid after the beginning of April will not include any child increments. The removal of the child increment will reduce the amount of the daily unemployment allowance by EUR 125–240 per month. […]
Am I allowed to work as an entrepreneur and still be entitled to earnings-related allowance?
In Finland, entrepreneurs are generally perceived positively and respected. Entrepreneurship is indeed a solid employment option, especially as there are various forms of entrepreneurship available, such as full-time, part-time or light entrepreneurship. Is it possible for an unemployed person to engage in business activities without losing their earnings-related allowance? If you work as an […]
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 […]
Increasing number of people worried about their work situation
In January, the Open Unemployment Fund asked its members how they see their work situation in 2024. Over 3,000 members responded to the questionnaire. A similar survey was conducted in autumn 2023. According to the January results, 33 per cent described their work situation as promising, while in September last year, as many as 41 […]
Did your work stop because of the frost?
In the event of a weather barrier, you can apply for a daily allowance from the fund under certain conditions. If work is prevented due to freezing temperatures, those working in the building and forestry industry must have agreed on a frost limit before starting work on the site. A weather barrier is a situation […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
