Questions and answers about the TE services reform 2024

The TE Services 2024 reform

What is the TE24 reform?

From the beginning of 2025, the responsibility for organising employment and economic development services will be transferred from the central government to municipalities (Act on the Organisation of Employment Services (380/2023) and, at the same time, the state’s Employment and Economic Development Offices (TE Offices) will be disbanded. With the reform, TE services will become part of the statutory tasks of municipalities and, consequently, part of the basic services of each municipality. This change is based on the objective included in the Government Programme in spring 2021 for strengthening the responsibility of municipalities in employment services.

The objective of the TE Services 2024 reform is a service structure that promotes rapid employment in the best possible way and increases the productivity, availability, effectiveness, and versatility of Finland’s employment and economic development services. As part of the reform, attention will be paid to the equal availability of services and the realisation of linguistic rights, as well as to safeguarding the services for those who are in a weaker position in the labour market.

Why are the TE Offices being disbanded?

This change is based on the objective included in the Government Programme in spring 2021 for strengthening the responsibility of municipalities in employment services. Parliament approved the legislative proposal on the reform of TE Services on 1 March 2023.

The purpose of transferring TE services to the municipalities is that it will bring the services closer to their customers. When employment services, municipal education services, and corporate services are the responsibility of the same organiser, these services can better support the goal of faster employment. Finland’s municipalities are well-equipped to provide customers with targeted services that meet the needs of their local labour markets.

Will the local government pilots also end at the end of 2024?

Yes. The local government pilots on employment began on 1 March 2021 and will end on 31 December 2024. The local government pilots included a total of 25 pilot areas and 118 municipalities.

Employment areas

What is an employment area, and how many employment areas are there in Ostrobothnia?

An employment area is a cooperation area formed by a municipality or municipalities. It is responsible for organising statutory employment and economic development services. A total of 45 employment areas will be formed nationwide, and 4 of these will be located in the Ostrobothnia ELY Centre area: the Employment Area of Ostrobothnia, the Employment Area of Central Ostrobothnia, the Employment Area of Jakobstad, and the Employment Area of Suupohja.

Starting in 2025, where can I find TE Services in Ostrobothnia and Central Ostrobothnia?

Job Market Finland will remain a central hub for various e-services, for example.

Four employment areas will be established in the Ostrobothnia TE Office area: the Employment Area of Ostrobothnia, the Employment Area of Central Ostrobothnia, the Employment Area of Jakobstad, and the Employment Area of Suupohja.

• The Employment Area of Ostrobothnia consists of Kaskinen, Korsnäs, Laihia, Malax, Korsholm, Närpes, Nykarleby, Vaasa, and Vörå. The responsible municipality for the area is Vaasa. 
• The Employment Area of Central Ostrobothnia consists of Halsua, Kannus, Kaustinen, Kokkola, Lestijärvi, Perho, Toholampi, and Veteli. The responsible municipality is Kokkola. 
• The Employment Area of Jakobstad consists of Kronoby, Larsmo, Jakobstad, and Pedersöre. The responsible municipality is Jakobstad. 
• Kristinestad is part of the Employment Area of Suupohja. The employment area will organise its employment services through the joint municipal authority model. 

The contact details of the offices will be updated on Job Market Finland and the TE Services’ website at a later date.

How will I know which office to visit in the future?

Select your office based on your municipality of residence. If your municipality does not have an office, you can visit the nearest office in your region. You can also manage nearly all of your affairs remotely through Job Market Finland’s e-services.

The updated offices with their opening hours and contact details will be added by the end of the year.

Services and Customer Relations

Will the TE Offices continue to operate normally until the end of 2024?

The Ostrobothnia TE Office will serve its customers until 31 December 2024. The time between Christmas and New Year may result in changes to our opening hours, due to the holidays and changes in our systems. Any changes in opening hours will be announced at a later date.

How can I register as a jobseeker after 1 January 2025?

You can continue to register as a jobseeker or notify that you have been laid off in Job Market Finland’s e-services.

If you do not have access to the e-services, you can visit the service point of your municipality’s employment services. Their contact details are available on your municipality’s website. This information will be updated on your municipality’s website at the end of the year.

As an individual customer of a TE Office, will I need to do something to transfer my customer relationship?

No, you don’t have to do anything. Your customer relationship will automatically be transferred to the new employment authority, i.e. your municipality of residence, at the turn of the year.

The services related to your customer relationship, as well as your rights and obligations as a jobseeker, will also continue normally. This means that, for example, your employment plan will remain valid, or your labour market training will be arranged as planned.

Will I get to keep the same specialist in the future, who will handle my matters?

The personnel of the Ostrobothnia TE Office will continue their work at the municipalities, where they will serve jobseekers and employers now and in the future – rest assured, our expertise is not going away. However, the TE Office specialist who served you may change.

The contact details of the TE Office (email addresses and telephone numbers) will remain in operation until the end of 2024.

What will change from the jobseeker’s perspective and how?

For customers, the change is mainly reflected in the change of the party responsible for the services and, to some extent, in possible changes in the contents of the services. As a rule, however, there will be no changes to statutory services and any related rights and obligations. The change will not require any action from customers, and they will not need to ensure the continuation of their services.

As a customer, you only need to comply with the employment plan and related tasks prepared by the TE Office, which will still remain binding after they are transferred to the employment area. Towards the end of the year, we will schedule the dates for any meetings etc. with our customers, and, after the turn of the year, a specialist from the employment area will contact you about any further measures if necessary.

Will there be any new obligations for receiving unemployment benefits?

The reform will not affect the rights and responsibilities of unemployed jobseekers. Once you have registered as a jobseeker, you will be entitled to unemployment security if you meet the necessary requirements. Your entitlement to unemployment security depends on whether you work as an employee or an entrepreneur, whether you can find employment in your field, or if you are a student. The amount and duration of your work are also important. Unemployment security is intended as financial support while the unemployed person looks for new work. The various forms of unemployment security include the labour market subsidy paid by Kela, the basic unemployment allowance paid by Kela to those with more work experience, and the earnings-related allowance for members of an unemployment fund.

Will the same job search obligations remain in place?

Yes, they will. The job search obligation refers to the jobseeker’s obligation to apply for job opportunities during their review period, as specified in their employment plan or the plan replacing it, as a prerequisite for receiving unemployment benefits. The provisions on including the job search obligation in the employment plan or the plan replacing it are laid down in chapter 3, section 3 of the Act on Public Employment and Business Service.

The “principal rule” for imposing the job search obligation is based on subsection 1 of the aforementioned section, according to which the employment plans of unemployed jobseekers and jobseekers at risk of unemployment must include three one-month review periods during which the jobseeker must apply for four job opportunities.

What will happen to corporate customer services?

Currently, the Ostrobothnia TE Office offers corporate customers versatile services in the recruitment and development of personnel, as well as in personnel reduction-related matters. Our most important task is finding the right employment opportunities for jobseekers. We provide support in recruitment processes and opportunities for directly training employees for the employer’s needs (e.g. Targeted and Recruitment Training), and we also support and advise employers and companies in various change security matters. Support and guidance is available to new entrepreneurs or those planning to start a business, for example in the form of entrepreneurship experiments, entrepreneurial training, and start-up grants. In addition to these, the TE Offices offer support for international recruitment and employment services, and our EURES specialists can help you recruit people from the EU/EEA. 

Beginning on 1 January 2025, you can contact the corporate specialists in your employment area in matters related to the statutory services for corporate customers. Each employment area will provide more information about their services for corporate customers closer to the reform’s start date.

Read more

• The TE Services 2024 reform will transfer TE Services to municipalities beginning on 1 January 2025
• TE24 and KOTO24

More information

Questions and answers about the TE services reform 2024 (tem.fi)