The number of earnings-related allowance recipients at A-kassa increased by 10.7% in January while the share of laid-off members reached 40%. First-time applications saw a sharp increase of 52.2% from December, and mid-February figures suggest an increase is inevitable in February as well.
In January 2026, a total of 25,717 persons received earnings-related allowance from the Open Unemployment Fund. The number is up 10.7% from December when the number was 23,226. However, compared with January of the previous year (32,876 recipients), the number of recipients is down 21.8%.
In January, 9.5% of A-kassa members received earnings-related allowance, compared to 7.5% in December.
Typical of the early part of the year, the number of applications trended upwards. In January, the fund received a total of 35,058 applications, up 17.1% from December (29,076). However, compared with January of last year (48,788 applications), the number of applications decreased by 28.1%.
Number of first-time applications on the rise
In January, a total of 3,320 first-time applications were submitted to A-kassa. While the number grew 52.2% from December (2,182), it was still 14.7% smaller than a year earlier (3,894). First-time applications accounted for 9.5% of all applications, compared with 7.5% in December and 8.0% a year ago.
Share of laid-off members reached 40%
Among all earnings-related allowance recipients, the share of laid-off members reached 40% in January. While the share increased by 6 percentage points over the month (34% in December), it was still 3 percentage points lower than a year ago (43%).
In January, a total of 10,186 members received lay-off period earnings-related allowance, up 30.4% from December (7,811). Compared to January of last year, however, the number of laid-off members decreased by 28.3% (14,205).
Earnings-related allowance costs up from December
A total of 32.6 million euros in earnings-related allowance were paid out in January. While the total is up 7.2% from December (€30.4 million), it is down 34.3% from a year earlier (€49.6 million).
The January figures reflect an increase in the number of applications and recipients from the previous month, which is typical for the early months of a year. However, when reviewing the recipient and application numbers year-by-year, they remain significantly lower from the previous year, despite the sharp increase in the share of laid-off members during the month.
Number of recipients projected to increase in February
A total of 16,462 members had received earnings-related allowance by mid-February, up 1,287 from mid-January’s 15,175. A total of 25,717 members received earnings-related allowance in January. Correspondingly, by mid-February 2025, a total of 21,612 members had received earnings-related allowance.
By mid-February 2026, a total of 5,938 members had received lay-off period daily allowance, corresponding to 36% of all recipients.
The majority of A-kassa members work in the manufacturing, construction and transport sectors. Consequently, the statistics are specifically a reflection of developments in these industries. In addition to the general employment situation, changes in recipient numbers may be affected by legislative amendments to unemployment security, such as changes to the employment condition and the conditions for earnings-related allowance.