Need and costs of an employee

Before you become an employer, consider how much work you want to give the employee. Do you need an employee for regular tasks, for a project, or to offset the workload during specific periods?

You should also calculate the estimated cost of your own employee in advance. In addition to pay, the employer must also pay insurance premiums and arrange occupational health care.

Employer register

If you employ more than one employee, it is likely that you will have to join the Tax Administration's employer register. This is affected by the number of employees and the length of their employment relationships. You can check on the Tax Administration's website whether you should join the employer register.

Help from advisory services

Plenty of information and help is available for the early stages of employership. If you are looking for a suitable worker, please review our content on finding a suitable worker. Do not hesitate to contact advisory services: public actors provide advice free of charge.

When you are looking for a new employee, you should first go through your own networks, as well as those of your acquaintances and employees. The right person can be easily found this way. However, a person with the required skills is not always found in these networks, and this is when you should publicly announce the vacancy.

Nowadays, there are a lot of different job search and job posting sites online that allow you to easily search for new employees. Also publish the vacancy on your own website and make sure to submit your job posting to Job Market Finland as well.

As an employer, you should also utilise social media. For example, LinkedIn has a wide range of experts from various fields who are looking for a new job. In addition to this, Facebook and Instagram can be used to find suitable employees. With paid marketing, you get more visibility for your job postings on social media. Job postings are also still published in newspapers.

You can also find aid for recruitment in the employment services offered by your regional employment official.

If you would like to recruit a young employee or skilled labour from abroad, please refer to our related content.

Financial support for recruitment and services for training a new employee

The employment subsidies granted by the employment official, i.e. the pay subsidy, employment subsidy for those aged 55 or over, and the subsidy for arranging working conditions, are based on the needs of both the job seeker and the employer. A job seeker needs help in finding a job and, as an employer, you need to find a skilled person for the job. A new suitable employee may be found in a job seeker whose job seeking is supported. A person who is partially able to work, has been unemployed for a long time, or is young, can also have useful skills and the right attitude to work and learn new things. You should also find out if your municipality offers employment bonuses.

You may also know a person that you would like to hire for your service but who does not have the skills required for the job. You can train employees in your organisation through an apprenticeship, joint procurement training, labour market training, or pay subsidy. In some situations, you can test a person's suitability for work by means of a work try-out.

When you are looking for special skills for your organisation, finding the right employee can be difficult. Take your time to think about what kind of skills are necessary for success at work and what skills you can be flexible about if necessary. Make a job posting carefully to ensure the best possible recruitment. Be prepared to not find a suitable employee in an instant. Instead of expertise, you can emphasise a readiness to learn and acquire new skills in the recruitment.

The following tips may be useful when recruiting people with special skills:

• Keep the list of requirements at an appropriate length. Too long a list can drive away good applicants. In a large group of candidates, you are most likely to find a skilled and committed employee.
• Ensure that the recruitment process is a smooth and pleasant experience for the candidates. A lengthy process can deter good applicants. Currently, in some sectors, there is a labour shortage, which has made the recruitment process speedier in general.
• Also see the potential in younger job seekers. You may find an employee among them who is willing to develop their professional skills.

You can search for a specialist in a particular field when you log in to Job Market Finland. You can create a job posting or browse the profiles published by job seekers by using different search criteria.

If you cannot find a suitable employee, you can, for example, train a specialist to meet the needs of your organisation, commission work from an entrepreneur, or look for a suitable person abroad.

Nowadays job seekers and employers looking for employees often meet online. Have you already tried finding an employee through Job Market Finland?

Log in to Job Market Finland and create a job posting. You can define what kind of skills you need or set requirements for, for example, the applicants' level of education or language skills. Through Job Market Finland, you are able to contact interesting job seekers. If no suitable job seekers can be found, you can edit your job posting.

If you want to employ as a household, you can create a job posting at Job Market Finland as a household employer and find an employee that way. As a household, you can employ, for example, a personal assistant, a cleaner, or a renovator.

Do you need help using Job Market Finland as an employer or are you interested in what the underlying efficiency of matching is like?

You can hire an employee in your organisation, but, instead of traditional recruitment, you can also buy or commission a service from another entrepreneur or professional. You can also use temporary hired-labour through an agency.

Different ways of employing skilled people give you flexibility to face changes in the labour market. The essential thing is that you understand what your needs are, what professional skills you need from the employee, and how often the task recurs. This way, you will be able to find the best possible employee for the vacancy, even in the long term.

All work carried out is paid either as pay or as compensation for work. When you commission work, you are usually subject to the contractor’s obligations and liability. This means that you have an obligation to determine whether the contractual partner has fulfilled their legal obligations. The client liability applies to temporary work and subcontracting contracts, but does not bind all private traders or households.

It may also be possible to commission business activities as voluntary work, but, in this case, taxation and other legislation related to voluntary work must be taken into account.

As a household, you can employ, for example, a personal assistant, a cleaner, or a renovator.

If you are interested in different ways of working from the job seeker's perspective, read more about self-employment.

According to the law, only work that is not unreasonably burdensome in relation to their age and does not interfere with their school attendance may be carried out by the young person. The involvement of young people in certain jobs and work tasks is either limited or forbidden entirely. It is therefore a good idea to familiarise yourself with the special provisions on this kind of employment relationships on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s website.

If you are hiring an employee under 15 years of age, their guardian must also accept the employment relationship.

Pay particular attention to the orientation of young employees and ensure that the tasks are appropriate for their age. You might be the young person's first employer and have a lot of influence on how they will view work in the future.

When a new employee starts working, prepare and sign an employment contract before the first workday. An oral employment contract is valid, but it is recommended to draw up the employment contract in writing. It is easier for both you and your employee to check the agreed tasks, pay, and other terms in a written agreement. 

If you wish to enter into a fixed-term contract, you must have an acceptable reason for doing so. The most common reasons relate to the work being substitute work, seasonal work, or project-based.  

You must also consider the minimum provisions of any collective agreement. Familiarise yourself with the collective agreement of your field, if applicable.

If you would like to read more about the topic, visit the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's website, which contains comprehensive information on employment contracts and the related legislation.

Give a good first impression and provide as much information and help as possible at the beginning of the employment relationship, as your new employee will certainly be nervous. This makes it easier for the employee to start working and become part of the work community.

Explain the basics of your organisation, present the workspaces, and, if working requires special work clothing, make sure that suitable work clothes are ready for the employee on their first workday.

It is worth investing in orientation so that your employee knows what their tasks are and what they are expected to do. Plan the orientation carefully and ensure that the workplace has both an orientation plan and material.

You will certainly give an excellent impression of yourself as a work supervisor if you remember the following points:

• Be present when your employee arrives to work for the first time.
• Make sure that the orientation resembles the work tasks: an appropriate mix of self-study materials and practical exercises is often a good combination
• It may be useful to select someone from the work community to help the newcomer get started in a new environment. 
• Talk freely and get to know each other during lunch or afternoon coffee break.

However, as an employer, you must comply with the following principles.

• The right to supervise work only applies to working hours.
• Provisions that violate the law or good practice are prohibited.
• The employee's physical and professional capacity to perform the assigned task must be considered.
• Changes that significantly affect the position of the employee must be negotiated in accordance with the cooperation procedure.
• The employee's privacy must not be violated.

In addition, matters that restrict the right to supervise work may be agreed upon in the employment contract. For example, if working hours or tasks have not been recorded in the employment contract, you must provide a written report to the employee at the latest after the end of the first pay period.

Remember that as an employer, you cannot usually unilaterally change the terms and conditions of employment described in the employment contract, but they must be re-agreed with the employee.

The occupational safety and health website contains a detailed list of the employer's obligations laid down in legislation.