If you become unemployed

Register as a jobseeker at the TE Office immediately if you become unemployed. Also register if you are laid off, your training ends or your wage-subsidised job ends. 

You may get unemployment benefit only if you have registered as a jobseeker and your status as a jobseeker is active

You may be entitled to unemployment benefit if you live in Finland permanently and are entitled to Finnish social security.  Even if you do not live permanently in Finland or are not entitled to Finnish social security, you may be entitled to basic unemployment allowance or earnings-related daily allowance. Read more about this on the InfoFinland page Finnish social security.

Register as a jobseeker via the online service of the TE Services, at the nearest TE Office or by phone. The way you register depends on your country of citizenship. You can register by phone if you have already been a customer of the TE Office. In this case, your citizenship does not matter.

The TE Office can assign you to become a client of the employment services in your municipality of residence. In this case, municipal employment services will help in your job search.

If you are a citizen of an EU or EEA country

You can register via the online service of the TE Services if you are a citizen of an EU or EEA country. Log in using your online banking credentials or an identity card with a chip. There is no need for you to call or visit the TE Office unless specifically requested to do so.

If you do not have online banking identifiers or an identity card with a chip, register yourself as a jobseeker at your nearest TE Office.

If you are a citizen of a country other than an EU or EEA country

Register as a jobseeker via the online registration form of the TE Services if you are a citizen of a country other than an EU or EEA country. If you have already been a customer of the TE Office, register by phone. You need a valid residence permit to register as a jobseeker.

If you are unable to fill in the form online, visit the nearest TE Office to register.

When you go to the TE Office take along:

• all your testimonials of service and study certificates
• identity card
• a valid residence permit.

When you have registered as an unemployed job seeker, the TE Office or your municipality’s employment services will review the information you have provided. They will issue a statement about your situation and submit it to the unemployment fund or Kela. The unemployment fund or Kela will take this statement into account when deciding whether you are entitled to unemployment benefit. At the same time, they will assess whether you meet the other conditions.

Apply for benefits from the unemployment fund or Kela after you have been unemployed for two weeks. If you belong to an unemployment fund, apply for earnings-related daily allowance from the fund. If you do not belong to a fund, apply for basic unemployment allowance or labour market subsidy from Kela. Read more about different unemployment benefits on the InfoFinland web page Unemployment benefit.

You can receive advice on matters relating to unemployment benefit at your TE Office or via the employment services of your municipality’s employment services or the unemployment benefit counselling of the TE Services:

• in Finnish: 0295 020 701
• in Swedish: 0295 025 510
• in English: 0295 030 713
• in Russian: 0295 020 715

If you are applying for or receiving unemployment benefit, you must actively seek full-time work and participate in services that support your employment. You can think about what kind of work you would like to do, whether you need continuing education or whether you want to change your profession. Explore the options for employment, entrepreneurship and education in your area.

You can find information about job opportunities in Finland on the pages Find a job in Finland, Tips for job hunting and Starting a business in Finland.
 

Your municipality’s employment services and the TE Office will guide you in your job search. They will also provide you with information on job vacancies, training and services for the unemployed.

Suitable services may include:

• integration training,
• job search or career coaching or
• work try-out.

Read more about the integration training on the InfoFinland page Integration into Finland. 

Ohjaamo 

If you are under 30 years of age, you can get information on work, training and other everyday matters in Ohjaamo.

Starting work or studies

While you are unemployed, you may in some situations be able to study and receive unemployment benefit at the same time. This may be the case, for example, if studying will improve your professional skills and help you find or keep a job. However, you must make an agreement with your designated expert regarding your studies before starting them.

If you start working or studying while you are unemployed, please notify the TE Office or your municipality’s employment services. They will advise you on how this will affect your unemployment benefit.

Holidays

If you travel in Finland or abroad, make sure you can be reached at all times. Give, for example, your phone number and address to the TE Office or your municipality’s employment services and inform them how long you plan to stay at your travel destination.

However, if you are offered a job or services that will help you find work, you cannot turn them down because of a trip abroad.

Entrepreneurship

If you are interested in starting a business or you are planning to start one, you can receive various services from the TE Office or your municipality’s employment services. These services include, for example, Start-up grant (starttiraha) and entrepreneurial training. Contact the employment services’ experts before you start a business.

If you start business activities while you are unemployed, you can usually receive unemployment benefit for the first four (4) months.

You may lose your right to daily unemployment allowance for a prescribed time if your unemployment is due to or prolonged by a self-inflicted reason. This can happen, for example, if:

• you do not apply for work in the way agreed in your employment plan
• you do not apply for a job proposed to you by the TE Office or your municipality’s employment services
• you do not accept a job that is offered to you
• you resign from you work yourself without a solid reason.

The qualifying period length varies from 7 to 45 days. The length depends on the cause of the qualifying period. In some cases, you may lose your right to unemployment benefit for the time being.