Plan

An employment plan is drawn up in an initial interview or a supplementary job search discussion held before the interview.

The implementation of the employment plan is monitored in job search discussions.

You can find your employment plan in the ‘E-services' section of Job Market Finland. You must report the completion of the tasks agreed in your employment plan within the agreed deadline. If you are unable to report these through Job Market Finland, you can also notify the TE Office, the local government pilot, or the telephone service directly about the completion of the tasks. 

Different plans 

Depending on your situation, your plan is an employment plan, activation plan, integration plan, or a cross-sectoral employment plan. You draw up the plan together with an expert at the TE Office or the local government pilot.

If you have been unemployed for a long time and your goal is to improve your life management and likelihood of finding employment, you will draw up an activation plan or a cross-sectoral employment plan together with a TE Office or local government pilot expert.

If you are an immigrant, you will draw up an integration plan together with an expert at the TE Office.

Tasks agreed on in the employment plan 

The number of job opportunities to be applied for, i.e. your job search obligation, is recorded in the employment plan. The aim is for you to find employment in the open labour market as quickly as possible.

To qualify for unemployment security, you must take part in the assessment of your service needs, in drawing up and reviewing your employment plan, and in services that support your job search and promote your employment. You must actively apply for work or training and, as a general rule, four job opportunities per month. The employment plan takes into account that the job opportunities to be applied for must be those in which you can find employment. For example, any disability or the labour market situation in your region will also be considered in your employment plan. If you do not have any job opportunities to apply for, you will not be given a job search obligation.

Fulfilling the job search obligation 

There are many ways to fulfil your job search obligation. It is possible for you to for example

• apply for a job of your choice,
• request additional work from your employer,
• search for work opportunities as an entrepreneur,
• create and publish a job applicant profile at Job Market Finland, and
• apply for another job opportunity like these. 

In addition to this, the TE Office or the local government pilot may submit job offers to you. The job offers are binding if your job search has lasted six months since the initial interview. The job offer is not obligatory if you have reported that you have applied for an agreed number of job opportunities before the job offer in the reference period.

Impact of the employment plan on unemployment security 

As a job seeker applying for unemployment security, you must act in accordance with the employment plan and notify the TE Office or the local government pilot of the implementation of the plan in the manner specified in it. The implementation of the plan may have an impact on your unemployment security. 

You accept the employment plan together with the expert at the TE Office or the local government pilot. 

In the employment plan, you must agree on

• how the implementation of the plan is monitored,
• the deadlines for the agreed measures and how you report on their implementation, and
• the time limit within which you must notify of the implementation of the plan.

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If you need help with considering education and career options or clarifying your future plans, you should participate in career and career choice guidance, education and training guidance, or career coaching. At the beginning of your job search, you may need to develop your job search skills, in which case you can participate in group job search training or individual job search training. Through a work try-out, you can get to know a new field, or it can support your return to working life after a long absence. If you need to update your skills or are planning to train in a new field, labour market training or RekryKoulutus Recruitment Training can be a good option.

Financial assistance for job search and employment

If you are an unemployed job seeker at a TE Office or local government pilot, the employer can be granted a pay subsidy for your hiring costs. If you are over 55 years old and unemployed as a job seeker in a TE Office or local government pilot, the employer can be granted employment subsidy for job seekers aged 55 or over. When you apply for a job or accept a job as an unemployed person in a location that is far from where you live, you can receive compensation or assistance for travel and accommodation costs or commuting and moving costs.

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The aim is for job seekers to find employment as quickly as possible. An initial interview and job search discussions are organised for job seekers to promote employment. 

Työ- ja elinkeinoministeriön ohje julkisesta työvoima- ja yrityspalvelusta annetun lain ja asetuksen soveltamisestia (pdf)

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Initial interview

The initial interview is organised for all job seekers within five business days since the start of the job search. Interviews are mainly organised at the office of the TE Office or the local government pilot, but they can also be arranged in some other way due to a weighty reason, for example, an inordinately long trip to the relevant office.

Alternatively, the TE Office or the local government pilot will organise a supplementary job search discussion in which an employment plan will be drawn up for you. However, the initial interview must be arranged without delay thereafter.

In the initial interview your situation will be analysed, and an employment plan will be prepared for you. In the interview, you and your expert will discuss what kind of jobs you could apply for or whether you need to acquire training or change fields

Your service needs will also be assessed in the initial interview. The assessment of service needs is a key part of supporting your employment and directing you to services.

In the initial interview, you will also agree on the service use method and communication with the TE Office or the local government pilot.

A new initial interview will only be organised if at least six months have passed since the end of your job search and you are re-registered as a job seeker.

Job search discussions and supplementary job search discussions

The TE Office or the local government pilot will hold job search discussions and supplementary job search discussions with you.

Job search discussions

The TE Office or the local government pilot must organise a job search discussion with you every three months after the initial interview or the previous job search discussion. Between them, you apply for work independently or participate in services in accordance with the employment plan.

Job search discussions concern

• all unemployed job seekers and job seekers at risk of unemployment,
• those in part-time employment and those who have been laid off by reducing their working hours, and
• job seekers who are in subsidised employment, in labour market training, rehabilitation, or study at their own initiative while on an unemployment benefit for a maximum period of one month.

As a job seeker, you are in regular contact with your assigned expert at the TE Office or the local government pilot in the job search discussions.

Job search discussions are carried out in the way most appropriate way for the current situation. As a job seeker, you can express your wish for the way the discussion is organized. The discussion can be arranged in other locations than the premises of the TE Office or the local government pilot, for example in facilities offered by the workplace or educational institution, by telephone, or by video connection.

In the job search discussion, you will receive support for your job search. In addition to this, the effectiveness of your job search and the implementation of the employment plan will be assessed. In the job search discussion, the assessment of service needs will be reviewed, and you will be directed to services accordingly.

A job search discussion or supplementary job search discussion will not be organised if your unemployment ends within three months and the other conditions are met.

Your employment plan will be drawn up or revised in each job search discussion.

Supplementary job search discussions

After the initial interview, the TE Office or the local government pilot will organise five supplementary job search discussions for you in the next three months. The aim is to organise the discussions every two weeks. The supplementary job search discussions are organised according to your individual situation, especially taking your service needs into account.

A supplementary job search discussion may also be organised before the initial interview.

In addition to job search discussions organised every three months, two supplementary job search discussions are organised for an unemployed job seeker every six months after six months have elapsed from the initial interview or other supplementary job search discussion. These supplementary job search discussions only apply to you if you are an unemployed job seeker and not participating in services that support employment.

A job search discussion or supplementary job search discussion will not be organised if your unemployment ends within three months and the other conditions are met.

A job search discussion or a supplementary job search discussion will also not be organised if you start military or civilian service or family leave within three months and your service needs do not require discussions to be organised. However, discussions must always be organised at the request of the job seeker.

Other supplementary job search discussions can be organised according to your needs. Instead of a supplementary job search discussion, you can also be offered other personal services that support your job search or improve your chances of finding employment.

Job search discussions for laid-off employees

If you have been laid off, in addition to the initial interview, five supplementary job search discussions may be organised during the first three months, at your request. If your lay-off has lasted for three months, a job search discussion will be held with you. The job search discussion will not take place if your lay-off is about to end within a month of the discussion being held. Your job search obligation begins after a job search discussion has been organized for you and you have been laid off for three months.

If your lay-off has lasted for three months, the number of job opportunities to be applied for will be agreed upon with you in the job search discussion. If you are laid off full-time, you will have to apply for four job opportunities within the month as per the standard rule, because a person who is completely laid off is considered unemployed from the perspective of unemployment security.

If you have been laid off part-time, the same principles will apply to you as for job seekers working part-time, but your job search obligation will not start until three months after the first job search discussion.

Supplementary job search discussions for laid-off employees

If you are laid off, supplementary job search discussions can only be organised at your request in the beginning of the job search.

You will be provided with two supplementary job search discussions if your lay-off has lasted for six months and you are either

• laid off full-time or
• laid off part-time and your working time is less than four hours a week.

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Your service needs are assessed regularly in the initial interview, job search discussions and supplementary job search discussions as well as in connection with the updating of your employment plan.

If you are a Finnish citizen, the assessment is carried out at Job Market Finland. In other cases, the assessment is carried out at the TE Office.

The assessment examines what services you need, what types of possible employment options you have based on your competence, and what kind of suitable vacancies are available to you. 

The assessment takes into account

• your competence and professional skills and your own goals for developing them,
• your ability to work and function that affects your job search and finding employment,
• your job search skills,
• the likelihood of becoming unemployed and prolonged unemployment, and
• other factors affecting your employment.

In addition to these things, the assessment will consider, for example, your competence accumulated in leisure activities as well as your own wishes and goals.

The assessment identifies possible shortcomings in your competence and the best ways to acquire expertise.

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The rights of unemployed job seekers    

The term unemployed job seeker refers to people who are without employment, have been laid off, and job seekers who are not part of the workforce.   

Once you have registered as a job seeker, you are entitled to    

• public employment services, which are determined by your service needs and
• unemployment security, if you meet the conditions for it.

Together with your assigned expert at either the TE Office or the local government pilot for employment, you will create an employment plan. The plan will be a record of your job seeking goals and obligations, and the actions you will take to achieve those goals. You will review the plan and your progress through it with your assigned expert every three months.

Your entitlement to unemployment benefits is affected by whether you are a wage earner, an entrepreneur, self-employed, or a student. How much work you do and how long you work is also significant.

Your assigned expert will always assess the amount of work required for your activities on a case-by-case basis, as this will have an impact on your unemployment security. The amount of work you do is the key factor in the assessment, not your income or profit. The assessment made by authorities of the TE Office or the local government pilot may not be in line with the decisions made by the providers of unemployment security, i.e. KELA, unemployment insurance funds, or the Tax Administration.

While receiving an unemployment benefit, and provided you meet the prerequisites, you can

• study part-time,
• complete short-term studies (lasting 6 months at most),
• engage in volunteering or other work that is unpaid, regular, and for the public good,
• work part-time,
• work as a part-time entrepreneur or in a short-term commission relationship, or
• become a full-time entrepreneur or self-employed. The full or part-time nature of entrepreneurial activity or self-employment is not assessed for the first four months after you start such activities if you have started them while being unemployed.

However, you must notify the TE Office or the local government pilot in advance of any changes in your situation in order to check your entitlement to unemployment security.

Responsibilities of unemployed job seekers

If you are applying for or already receive an unemployment benefit, you need to search for full-time work. Only job seekers who receive a partial disability pension are entitled to unemployment benefits without being obligated to seek full-time employment. A nonconditional requirement of receiving unemployment benefits is that your job search is valid. Your job search is considered valid when you are working with the TE Office or local government pilot in the agreed manner and at the agreed times, and you are observing any instructions and deadlines given through ‘E-services' section of Job Market Finland or other official channels.

In addition to this, you have to take care of the following responsibilities.

• Ensure you can be reached and keep your contact information up to date. You can notify officials on any changes through ‘E-services' section of Job Market Finland or calling the telephone service.
• Accept work that is offered to you by your assigned expert or an employer. If the job offer made by your expert is mandatory, you are required to contact the employer. You must also report contacting the employer by the deadline.
• Accept training your assigned expert offers you. Training offers require you to apply for programmes such as vocational labour market training. You must report your applications by the deadline.
• Attend the agreed interviews, job search discussions, and supplementary job search discussions. Participate in drawing up and reviewing your employment plan, activation plan, or integration plan.
• Apply for and participate in all employment-promoting services that are agreed in the employment plan or provided to you. Perform all the actions agreed on in the employment plan and report actions you have completed.
• If you are under 25 and do not have any post-comprehensive or post-upper-secondary education leading to a qualification or professional capabilities, you need to apply for at least two education programmes in the spring to receive unemployment benefits. Your entitlement to unemployment security will be reviewed at the beginning of the autumn semester, starting from 1 September. You can find more information and guidance from the One-Stop Guidance Center closest to you.
• Inform the TE Office or the local government pilot of any changes to your contact information.

Note that if you neglect your responsibilities, you may lose your entitlement to unemployment security for a fixed period or indefinitely.

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