Employment vouchers for young people to open doors to working life and prevent prolonged unemployment – Preparations are well underway
The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment is preparing the introduction of an employment voucher for young people, which was decided in the government budget session in September. The launch of the employment voucher is planned already for the beginning of next year. The purpose of the employment voucher is to help young people find work in the open labour market by temporarily reducing the costs of recruitment.
“The current economic situation has aggravated the position of young people in the labour market in particular. The employment voucher will open doors for young people to working life and prevent prolonged unemployment among them. This EUR 30 million will be a significant additional investment in the employment of young persons. All young people deserve the opportunity to access working life and find their first job. That is why acting on behalf of each and every one of them is so important,” says Minister of Employment Matias Marttinen.
The Minister described the preparation and launch of the employment voucher at a press conference in Vantaa on 7 October 2025.
What is an employment voucher, i.e. a discretionary recruitment subsidy for young people?
The employment authority could grant an employment voucher, i.e. a discretionary recruitment subsidy, to a company that employs a young person aged 18–29 for at least six months.
A condition for granting the government grant is that the unemployed person is between 18 and 29 years of age and that they have been unemployed for at least six months. However, young people who have only completed primary and lower secondary education syllabus would be excepted from this rule. They would have had to be unemployed for at least three months to qualify for the voucher.
In its budget session this autumn, the Government reserved EUR 30 million for the introduction of the employment voucher for young people. The vouchers will be targeted at young people aged 18–29 who can be expected to benefit from this fixed-term subsidy. The employment areas will be responsible for assessing the recipients of vouchers. Funding may be allocated to employment areas based on a pre-determined distribution of appropriations.
In terms of its details, the employment voucher will be as simple as possible to use. The employment voucher would cover 50 per cent of wage costs. During the six-month support period, the costs could not exceed EUR 9,000, or EUR 1,500 per month. Based on the calculations, approximately 3,300–4,400 young people belonging to the target group could receive the subsidy.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment is currently drafting a decree concerning the subsidy. The plan is to present the decree at a government session in late autumn. The employment voucher would be launched at the beginning of 2026.
Labour market situation of young people is especially sensitive to economic cycles
Economic fluctuations tend to affect the labour market situation of young people first and also most severely. The current downward trend in the economy is reflected in both rising youth unemployment and longer periods of unemployment. Structural unemployment among young people has increased in particular, which, as research shows, makes it more difficult for young people to integrate into the labour market.
Inquiries:
Teresa Salminen, Special Adviser to the Minister of Employment, tel. +358 295 047 318
Janne Savolainen, Chief Specialist, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, +358 295 047 344
The Ministry’s email addresses are in the format [email protected]