Consultation round begins: More customer-oriented service process for jobseekers

The service process for jobseekers will be reformed to make it more customer-oriented and tailored to individual needs, in line with the Programme of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s Government. This requires amendments to the legislation concerning the service model and job applicant profiles.

Among the aims of the Programme of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s Government is to reform the service process for jobseekers to make it more customer-oriented and tailored to individual needs. This would include amendments to the legislation concerning the obligation to apply for work and job applicant profiles. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment organises a consultation round on the legislative amendments that have been prepared, i.e. the government proposal concerning the development of the service process for jobseekers and job placement services. The process to prepare the proposal included consultations with labour market organisations, municipalities and other stakeholders.

The draft proposal takes into account the objectives of the Government Programme to ease the statutory service process of employment services so that the limited resources can be used more appropriately and in a more customer-oriented manner. The objective to increase the opportunities of private job placement agencies to obtain the necessary information on unemployed jobseekers has been addressed as well. The proposed amendments take into account Parliament's statements concerning employment services and the conclusions of studies conducted due to these, and the recommendations of the National Audit Office of Finland to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment in the audit concerning the customer service model.

The draft proposal responds to the objectives concerning the development of employment services in the Government Programme. The proposals include increasing the discretion of the officials working in the employment services to determine the service process for an individual jobseeker. In practice, this means more focus on organising supplementary job search discussions on the basis of the customers’ service needs. In addition, the proposals include the clarification of the legislation related to imposing an obligation to apply for work. Certain exceptions would be abolished. Amendments are also proposed to increase the role of job placement in customer services. The proposed amendments aim to increase the degree of publicity of the job applicant profiles published at Job Market Finland and expand their viewing rights.
 
The government proposal was opened for comments on the public consultation website Lausuntopalvelu.fiLinkki toiselle sivustolle on Monday 10 February 2025, and the deadline for submitting comments is 28 March 2025.

With respect to the jobseekers’ service process, the government proposal concerning the development of the service process for jobseekers and job placement services is closely linked to the government proposal concerning general social security benefit prepared by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment requests those submitting comments on its proposal to also take the opportunity to submit comments on the government proposal concerning legislation on general social security benefit. The consultation round for the latter starts later this spring.

Inquiries:
Teresa Salminen, Special Adviser (questions to the Minister of Employment), Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 295 047 318
Anna Aaltonen, Chief Specialist, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 295 047 097
Toni Ruokonen, Senior Specialist, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 295 047 213

The Ministry’s email addresses are in the format firstname.lastname@gov.fi

///The press release was updated on 27.2.2025 by deleting from the last sentence information on the exact start date of the consultation round on general social security benefit.///