Change or deactivation of job search

Report, for example, when

• you start working, your work ends, or your working hours change,
• you engage in business activities for more than two weeks (in addition to your own business activity, work in a family-owned enterprise can also be considered as business activities),  
• you work and receive compensation other than as a wage earner or entrepreneur, for example as an informal carer,  
• you start studying,
• your nationality or your residence permit changes,   
• you discontinue the service promoting employment (notify either the unemployment fund or Kela of individual absences in the application for daily allowance or labour market subsidy), or  
• your contact information changes.  

Please note that the most common changes that you must notify to the TE Office or the local government pilot are listed above. If you are unsure about how the change in your situation affects your right to unemployment security, you should contact the TE Office, the local government pilot, or the unemployment security helpline. An expert will also give you more detailed instructions on how to report the start and end of employment when you take on temporary work on a regular basis, for example.

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Before changing jobs, it is worth weighing the good and bad aspects of your current job. What changes will a new employment relationship bring? For example, does the new position have a more interesting job description, an opportunity for remote work, better pay, better opportunities for progress, or like-minded colleagues? If you think that the new employment relationship will have more positive aspects than your current job, it may be a good idea to make a change.

You do not need a special reason to terminate a permanent employment relationship. Remember, however, that you must comply with the notice period agreed in your employment contract, which must be at least as long as the minimum period required by law. Where possible, it is polite to notify your employer of your resignation well in advance. 

It is also possible to resign during a fixed term contract if such an agreement has been made with your employer either in the employment contract or during the employment relationship. 

In special cases, you may also cancel the employment relationship without any notice period if the employer has seriously violated their obligations. If there is a trial period at the start of the employment, you may cancel the employment relationship during this period without any special reason. Comprehensive instructions for different types of employment termination can be found on the website of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

If you know that you will be unemployed between jobs and want to claim benefits for the period, find out whether you are entitled to unemployment security.

You can also resign from a fixed-term employment relationship if you have agreed on this with the employer in the employment contract or during the employment relationship. 

Where possible, it is polite to inform the employer of such a decision in good time. You can announce your resignation with a separate notice of resignation or by sending an email with your name, personal details, and the date.

Termination of employment

If there is a trial period at the start of the employment, you may terminate the employment relationship during this period without giving any special reason. During the trial period, you can terminate the employment relationship without serving any period of notice. In such cases, the employment relationship ends immediately, in practice on the same day.

As an employee, you can also terminate the employment contract if your employer violates or neglects very seriously their own obligations, such as payment of wages or occupational safety

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Working at retirement age 

Continued employment after the earliest retirement age 

Working can be motivating even if you are reaching retirement age. The older you are when you end your career, the higher your pension will be. However, you must sign a new employment contract even if you continue with the same work. 

Work arrangements made at the workplace, vocational rehabilitation, or partial disability pension can all help you to continue working if, for example, you have an illness or a life situation that reduces your ability to work. Even if you are unable to continue your current work, you may still have plenty of work ability left for some other tasks or to continue working on a part-time basis.

Part-time pension and partial early old-age pension

Part-time pensions were abolished at the beginning of 2017 with the introduction of the pension reform. The pension reform did not affect part-time pensions that have already begun – if you are in this category, you will continue to receive your part-time pension as normal until you retire. The reform replaced the part-time pension with a partial early old-age pension.

Becoming unemployed towards the end of one’s career

If you become unemployed at the end of your career, you may be entitled to unemployment security. Register as an unemployed job seeker through the E-services at Job Market Finland no later than on your first day of unemployment.

Retirement at the end of your career

When you are about to retire, you should use the pension calculator to check how much pension you will receive. Once you have made your decision to retire, terminate your employment and fill in the pension application form. It is a good idea to apply for your pension approximately two months before retirement.

Old-age pension

You can apply for an old-age pension once you reach the minimum retirement age for your age group. With the same application, you can apply for a pension from both Kela and an employee pension institution.

Years-of-service pension

If your ability to work has deteriorated permanently and you were born in 1955 or later, you can apply for a years-of-service pension. This is a new alternative introduced by the pension reform for those who have had a long career of heavy work.

Disability pension

You may receive a disability pension (sickness pension) if you are not yet at the age of retirement and your ability to work has been reduced for at least one year, for example due to illness or disability. 

Pension from abroad

If you live in Finland and apply for a pension from an EU or EEA country or Switzerland, you must notify Kela, your employee pension institution, or the Finnish Centre for Pensions that you are also applying for a pension from abroad. You will need a separate application form for other countries with which Finland has a bilateral social security agreement. The Finnish Centre for Pensions will submit your application to the relevant organisations overseas.

You must yourself find out about your pension entitlements in countries with which Finland has not made such an agreement.

Work during retirement

Even if you are already retired, you can return to work if you wish. While receiving an old-age pension, meaning a pension received because of reaching a certain age, you can work without facing any income limits. However, it is a requirement that your pre-retirement employment relationship has been terminated. You can also work while on a part-time pension and disability pension. There are certain restrictions that apply in these cases, however, including income limits. When on a disability pension, you can try returning to work by pausing your pension based on certain conditions.

When on a pension you get to decide, according to your life situation, whether you want to work or to participate in voluntary activities.

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You can carry out a self-assessment of your work ability by completing the Abilitator questionnaire. Assessing work ability may also require a health assessment. In that case, contact the health services in your area. You can also get help in assessing your work ability from the TE Office or a local government trial. If you are under 30 years old, you can also use the services of the One-Stop Guidance Center (Ohjaamo).

If you are partially able to work, various services can help you find employment 

If your work ability is limited or otherwise impaired by a disability or illness, your employment can be promoted through, for example, multisectoral joint services or rehabilitation measures. If your ability to work requires changes at your workplace or you need help with certain tasks, your employer may be able to provide financial support to help you make such arrangements. You can promote your chances of getting a job with a large employer by requesting from the TE Office or a local government trial a certificate stating that you have been entered in the customer register of TE services as a job seeker with partial work ability.

Support for maintaining the ability to work

While an illness or disability may reduce your work ability and functional capacity, this does not necessarily mean that you are completely unable to work. You can get a wide range of help to maintain your work ability.

Support for job seeking

You need to be proactive to find a job. You can also use a range of services to help in your job search.

Identify your competence

Are you aware of all your areas of competence? It is important to acknowledge what you already know and what you could still learn if you are seeking to find a new job or to develop your competence. You can attend higher education institutions to complement your existing competence and degrees, or study at any institution of your choosing alongside work.

Complementing studies and degrees through higher education

Higher education institutions allow you to complement your previous degrees or take studies in an entirely new field. These non-degree studies can also be taken alongside work to expand professional competence.

Studying while working

If you are working, you can take multiform studies or ask your employer about the possibility of taking study leave.

Multiform studies are designed to be taken alongside work, so contact teaching is reduced and mostly takes place in the evenings and on weekends. Multiform studies combine different forms of study, which may include contact teaching, online learning, working in study groups and independent study, for example.

Policies on study leave vary from workplace to workplace, so discuss them with your own employer.