Open Unemployment Fund A-kassa and working life company Barona continue their close cooperation to provide their members with practical job search support. Launched in the spring of 2025, the tailor-made labour exchange service helps A-kassa members find matching job opportunities – including some they might not come to think of on their own.
Barona’s recruiters identify each applicant’s competences on a wide scale and provide support by keeping in contact and sparring with them. The job search platform has been updated to ensure that the profiles better serve the purpose of finding employment.
Matching jobs and workers requires new solutions
Even with an abundance of jobs and applicants, it is not a certainty workers and jobs are successfully matched. While many jobseekers might be interested in the vacancies available, matches may be prevented due to a long commute or needlessly strict preferences, for instance. A new operating model developed by Barona strives to identify job search obstacles at an early stage and encourage applicants to adopt a broader view.
– By diligently updating their profiles and keeping an open mind for various opportunities, applicants are much more likely to find employment. We want to support them throughout their journey, says Barona’s Service Director Arto Töyrä.
Many members find it difficult to talk about themselves or even engage in the job search process in general. Meanwhile, employers need suitable applicants, but jobs and potential workers do not match if there is not enough essential information on applicants’ skills or preferences.
– For instance, how can an industrial worker just entering the job market know what recruiters are looking for exactly? We want to provide practical help to tackle this challenge. We offer tools, guidance and support with our webinars and other resources. The journey of trying something new does not have to be taken alone, says A-kassa’s Service Manager Elina Laine.
Putting your competences into words is not always easy
The partnership has helped us realise that many find it difficult to describe their competences. This can be particularly challenging if you have had a long career working in the same job. Included in A-kassa’s EmploymentWizard, AI can help you describe your competences.
– The better you can put your work experience and skills into words, the easier it is to stand out among jobseekers. By describing your competences in sufficient detail you give valuable information for recruiters that can then find matching jobs for you – or even new industries or duties where your accumulated experience might come in handy, Töyrä sums up.
Partnership that puts the jobseeker first
Barona’s job search service, tailored for A-kassa members, is one of the job search support services launched by the fund early this year. In addition to the labour exchange service, members can make use of our EmploymentWizard and participate in free EmploymentWebinars designed to help members develop their job search process at their own pace and convenience. A-kassa‘s job search support is developed entirely with the intention of ensuring that members are not alone when faced with the challenges of finding a job.
– Our number one priority is to ensure that our members get the support they need since the onset of their unemployment. We want to provide tangible tools that jobseekers can use to improve their situation, says A-kassa’s Head of Unemployment Fund Sami Aapro.
Using the new service requires some effort – but it pays off
– Our partnership with Barona has had a promising start, and some intrigued A-kassa members have already wanted to try out the new job search support. Like with any new service, there is a learning curve: first you have to find it, then you need to log in and learn the ropes. This is why A-kassa actively promotes the service across its various channels and encourages its members to use the opportunity, Laine says.
While getting a handle on the job search channel takes some time and effort, it soon starts to pay off. Once you have properly filled out your jobseeker profile and put all necessary documents together, job search becomes significantly easier going forward. The initial care and effort you put into your profile pays off later, as adding information becomes that much easier. With the jobseeker profiles in place, Barona’s recruiters can better target job recommendations to applicants and suggest vacancies that might not otherwise even occur to the jobseeker.
– Many members have described how simply filling out the profile has helped them break down their strengths and clarify their goals. Having a modicum of courage to try something new can help unlock some major doors, Laine sums up.
A-kassa and Barona will continue to develop their partnership with the ultimate goal of building a model that yields long-term benefits for jobseekers – while meeting the changing needs of the job market.
