Job alternation leave and compensation

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment is responsible for the management, guidance and development of the labour-policy aspects of the job alternation leave scheme while the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is responsible for matters related to job alternation compensation.

Job alternation leave provides

• employees with an opportunity to improve their coping at work
• unemployed jobseekers with a chance to gain work experience and to maintain and improve their labour market skills
• employers with more flexibility and an opportunity to introduce new skills into the work community.

An employee’s job alternation leave is subject to an agreement between the employer and the employee. The employee can use the leave as he or she sees fit. During the job alternation leave, the employee’s employment relationship is dormant.

The employer must hire a substitute for the duration of the job alternation leave. Only a person registered as an unemployed jobseeker in an Employment and Economic Development Office (TE Office) may be hired.

The employee taking the job alternation leave receives a job alternation compensation for the duration of the leave. The compensation is paid by an unemployment fund or the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela).

More detailed information concerning the conditions for job alternation leave is available from the TE Office, unemployment funds and Kela.