Development of jobseekers’ service process and employment services

An initial interview will be held with the jobseeker within five working days after the start of the job search.

During the three months following the initial interview, five supplementary job search discussions will be arranged with the jobseeker, usually every two weeks.

Three months after the initial interview, and subsequently every three months, a job search discussion will be arranged with the jobseeker.

The focus of the discussions will be on assessing the jobseeker’s service needs, supporting job search, producing or updating an employment plan and, if necessary, referring the jobseeker to other employment services.

An initial interview would be held with the jobseeker within 10 working days after the start of the job search.

Instead of the current rigid service process, supplementary job search discussions would only be organised with the jobseeker if they were considered necessary based on the individual service needs.
 

The reform would lighten the statutory service process of employment services so that the limited resources of the employment authority could be used more appropriately and in a more customer-oriented manner.

The initial interview and personal interaction with the jobseeker would become the core parts of the process. Officials would be given more discretion and they would be obligated to promote individualised employment services.

The reform would contribute towards the Government’s general objective to streamline and simplify social security.
 

The individual situation of the jobseeker will be assessed as part of the need for services, as before. This includes, for example, the jobseeker’s work ability and functional capacity that may have an effect on their job search and the preconditions for employment.

In order to determine the need for services, the jobseeker may be referred to other expert assessments, where their situation can be evaluated in a multidisciplinary manner.

The employment plan of jobseekers will continue to include measures related to job search or business development, but it can also include a wide range of services that meet the jobseeker’s individual service needs, such as services that improve labour market skills, work ability and functional capacity.

Supplementary job search discussions will be arranged based on the individual service needs of the jobseeker.

Currently, part-time employees must apply for one job opportunity in three months.

The obligation of part-time employees to look for work would change so that they would, as a rule, have the same job search obligation as other unemployed jobseekers. In practice, this would mean that they would have to apply for four job opportunities per month, unless the obligation to look for work was reduced or waived altogether.

The obligation of part-time employees to seek work could be waived if accepting other work at the same time would not be possible considering their ability to work. In other words, more consideration than currently could be given to the work ability of the jobseeker.

In some cases, the employment authority indicates to the jobseeker certain jobs that they should apply for. The obligation to apply for such jobs now begins six months after the initial interview.

The new rules would tighten the obligation to apply for jobs indicated by the employment authority. In future, the obligation would begin immediately at the start of unemployment.

The Act on the Organisation of Employment Services lays down provisions on the obligation to look for work and the grounds on which the obligation to look for work can be reduced or completely waived.

Primary consideration of what the jobseeker is capable of and what is required of the jobseeker will be taken during the service process. Work ability is part of this consideration.

The consideration to impose an unemployment security sanction under the Unemployment Security Act will be taken only after the jobseeker has failed to fulfil the required tasks. No changes have been proposed to the provisions of the Unemployment Security Act regarding the consideration of work ability.

The job applicant profile is a service offered by Job Market Finland to private customers, who can create and publish job applicant profiles of themselves. The service can help private customers find jobs that match their skills.

The job applicant profile contains information on the person’s education and training, work experience, other skills and preferred work, for example. It may also include a free-form presentation of the person and links to other services outside the platform.

Any person logged on the service platform can create a job applicant profile without the need to register as a jobseeker. Creating and publishing a job applicant profile is entirely voluntary at the moment.

Employers registered at Job Market Finland can search and view job applicant profiles published there. They can also contact interesting job applicants through the service platform. 

The jobseeker would be obligated to create and publish an anonymous job applicant profile. In addition, jobseekers should keep their job applicant profile published for the duration of the job search.

However, failure to comply with this obligation would not result in the termination of job search or in an unemployment security sanction.

Jobseekers would have 15 working days from the start of their job search to create and publish a job applicant profile on the service platform (Job Market Finland). If a jobseeker failed to publish their job applicant profile within the time limit, the employment authority would publish their job applicant profile.

A jobseeker would not be obligated to publish a job applicant profile and the employment authority would not publish one if one of the following exceptions were met: 

1. Jobseeker is not required to apply for work; 
2. Jobseeker is in full-time employment, studies full-time or is a full-time entrepreneur;
3. Based on an assessment by the employment authority, the jobseeker cannot independently utilise the service platform to find employment. This could be the case if the jobseeker’s language, reading or writing skills were deemed to be insufficient for the use of the service platform or if the jobseeker had some other impediment related to their work ability or functional capacity, for example.
4. Based on an assessment by the employment authority, publishing a job applicant profile would be unreasonable due to some other reason related to the jobseeker. This could be the case, if the jobseeker does not use IT equipment at all, for example.

The job applicant profile of a jobseeker should contain information relevant for the job search and employment, such as work experience, education, other skills and preferred work. 

In order to maintain the anonymity of the profile, the jobseeker could include information on their work experience without specifying the employer, and instead provide just the sector or industry and the duration of employment.

The job applicant profile could also include a free-form presentation of the jobseeker and links to other platforms, such as LinkedIn. However, adding these would mean the profile would no longer be anonymous and therefore including such information would not be necessary in the profile.

As a rule, the employment authority would create and publish an anonymous job applicant profile of the jobseeker.

A profile of the jobseeker published by the employment authority could only contain the following information:

1. Relevant work experience without information identifying the employer;
2. Relevant education, without information specifying the education provider;
3. Information on valid qualifications and licences, without information specifying the issuer;
4. Work preferences, area of job search and language skills; and
5. Information published by the jobseeker themself in the job applicant profile or information the jobseeker has requested to be published.

Persons who have not registered as jobseekers could create and publish a job applicant profile voluntarily and decide on the information in their profile, as is currently the case.

The information in the profile could be the same as the information in the current profile.
 

Private job placement agencies registered on the service platform would be able to search and view published job applicant profiles. However, they could not search and view profiles that have not been published.

In other words, private job placement agencies would have the same rights to search and view published job applicant profiles as employers currently have. In addition, private job placement agencies could contact jobseekers through the service platform.

With the help of the published job applicant profiles, private job placement agencies could obtain information on unemployed jobseekers for recruitment or employment service purposes.

The reform would improve the employment of jobseekers and the matching of employers, job placement agencies and jobseekers in the open labour market.
 

Employers and job placement agencies registered on the service platform could search and view published job applicant profiles, while the employment authority would have the right to do that for their own customers.

Job applicant profiles would not be open to public view.
 

Employers and private job placement agencies registered on the service platform could contact jobseekers through the platform.

Jobseekers would be contacted by email.

Employers and private job placement agencies could not see the jobseeker’s email address.
 

In order to receive unemployment benefits, jobseekers must actively seek work and participate in services that promote employment. Jobseekers will lose their right to unemployment benefit for a fixed period or until further notice if they themselves are the cause for unemployment or prolonged unemployment. The latter may be the case, for example, if the jobseeker refuses to participate in the services of the employment authority as agreed in the employment plan.

For example: During the job search discussion, the employment authority and the jobseeker have noted that updating the jobseeker’s professional skills would improve their chances of finding employment. The job search plan includes an obligation to apply for four jobs during a month. In addition, the plan includes an agreement to apply for a specific labour market training for updating skills.

The jobseeker applies for jobs and notifies the employment authority about this in the online service. In this respect, the jobseeker has fulfilled the obligation. However, the jobseeker fails to apply for labour market training, and does not have a valid reason for doing so under the Unemployment Security Act. Because the jobseeker does not have any previous neglects, an unpaid time period will be imposed on the jobseeker, during which no benefits will be paid (if Parliament approves the proposed amendments).

Acting in a manner considered reprehensible in terms of labour market policy, i.e. failure to apply for work or participate in employment services, could result in periods when no benefits are paid to the jobseeker, i.e. unpaid time periods and duty to work.

The unpaid time period means a loss of unemployment benefit for a fixed period. The term in Finnish legislation is “korvaukseton määräaika.”

The duty to work, on the other hand, means that the right to unemployment benefit is lost until further notice. The right to claim benefits would be restored after the jobseeker had participated in certain services or worked for at least 12 weeks (6 weeks if Parliament approves the amendments).

No unemployment security sanctions would be imposed on the jobseeker if they had a valid reason for their actions in terms of labour policy.

The sanctions will not prevent a jobseeker from claiming unemployment benefits while they are participating in employment-promoting services listed in the Unemployment Security Act.

The sanctions for failing to seek employment or to participate in employment services are staggered:

• failure: no sanction
• failure: 7-day period without payment of benefits
• failure: 14-day period without payment of benefits
• fourth (or more) failure: 12-week duty to work

The actions of the jobseeker related to job search and employment services are reviewed on a one-year basis.

The aim of the reform is to clarify and simplify the sanctions and to make the job search of jobseekers and their participation in employment-promoting services more efficient.

Currently, it is common that failures to follow the rules do not result in any unemployment security sanctions. In practice, this means that jobseekers neglect their obligation to participate in meetings with the employment authority that are part of the service process or to apply for jobs as agreed in the employment plan in an appropriate manner.

The reform is part of the measures of the Government of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo to introduce incentives and obligations into the social security system.

The aim is to clarify the unemployment security sanctions and to make the job search of jobseekers and their participation in employment-promoting services more efficient.

Replacing the current four-stage system with a two-stage system would clarify the unemployment security sanctions. The threat of losing the unemployment benefit more quickly would provide an incentive not to neglect the obligations, which in turn would make job search and participation in services more efficient.

The staggered sanctions would be changed so that jobseekers would lose their right to unemployment benefit already after their first failure related to the service process, job search or participation in services. In these situations, the right to benefits would be lost for seven calendar days. The change would emphasise the jobseeker’s own responsibility to actively seek employment and participate in the available services.

The sanctions system of four stages would be replaced with a two-stage system. For the second failure to apply for work or participate in employment services, jobseekers would be imposed a duty to work for six calendar weeks. In practice, this means that jobseekers who continued to act in a manner considered reprehensible in terms of labour market policy would lose their right to unemployment benefits more quickly than now.

At the same time, however, the jobseekers who had lost their right to benefits would be able to reclaim the right more easily than now, as the duration of the duty to work would be reduced by half (from 12 calendar weeks to 6 calendar weeks).

Jobseekers will lose their right to unemployment benefit for a fixed period or be imposed a duty to work if they neglect their obligations. In other words, jobseekers will not lose their right to unemployment benefit if they have properly applied for employment opportunities but have not been selected for them.
 

Jobseekers will be informed of the binding nature of the tasks required of them during the service process.

As part of the reform, a text message reminder will be introduced. Jobseekers will receive a text message reminding them of a meeting with the employment authority or an approaching deadline for required tasks. The aim is to prevent neglect due to forgetfulness and mistakes.

The consideration to impose an unemployment security sanction under the Unemployment Security Act will be taken only after the jobseeker has failed to fulfil the required tasks.

The legislation on unemployment security sanctions has been in force for quite a while, and the provisions have been amended several times. The current four-stage sanctions system entered into force at the beginning of May 2022. Prior to that, the first failure to meet the obligations resulted in a period of at least 15 days, at least 30 days, or 60 days during which benefits were not paid. The second failure within a six-month review period led to a duty to work of 12 calendar weeks.

As concerns the sanctions, the proposed provisions are therefore significantly more lenient compared with the provisions that were in force until the beginning of May 2022, even if under the proposal, the jobseeker would lose their right to unemployment benefit for a fixed period already after the first failure.

However, in assessing the severity of the sanctions, the services available to jobseekers at a given time must be considered and e.g., the extent to which the employment authority indicates to jobseekers to apply for certain jobs, because applying for such jobs is a condition for claiming unemployment benefit.

The legislative amendments are mainly scheduled to enter into force on 1 January 2026.

However, the amendments to job applicant profiles are set to enter into force on 1 September 2026. 

The proposal on general social security benefit includes changes to the jobseeker’s service process. During a prolonged job search, jobseekers would have meetings that are part of the service process and take place, as a rule, in person at an office of the employment authority. These meetings would focus on establishing the reasons for prolonged unemployment and referring jobseekers to the necessary services.

The proposed changes to the unemployment security sanctions would also apply to the recipients of the general social security benefit.

If a jobseeker lost their right to unemployment benefit for a fixed period or a duty to work was imposed on the jobseeker, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland would consider lowering the amount of social assistance.