Unemployment benefit

To be eligible for unemployment benefit, an unemployed person must be enrolled as a jobseeker at a local employment office. It is wise to enrol at the earliest opportunity after learning that your employment is coming to an end.

Members of an unemployment fund are paid earnings-related daily unemployment benefit, others can get a daily allowance or a labour market subsidy from the Social Insurance Institution. It is customary to join both the trade union and the unemployment fund at the same time.

Your unemployment fund will advise you on the amount of benefit that you can expect to receive, on how long this benefit will continue to be paid, and on other details concerning the benefits paid from the fund. A member of an unemployment fund normally becomes eligible for earnings-related unemployment benefit ten months after joining the fund, provided that the member has been in continuous substantial employment over this period. A union member can turn to the trade union for expert help in the event of technical problems over eligibility for benefit.

Your general eligibility for unemployment and certain other social security benefits may be affected if you are in Finland on a temporary basis only.

Source: SAK