You can register as a job seeker now if you do not have a job or study place known for next year
Register as a job seeker if you are graduating from an educational institution or your military or civil service is ending and you do not yet have a job or study place known for next year. You can register as a job seeker and report your first day of unemployment now. Remember that if you register as a job seeker when your unemployment has already begun, your entitlement to unemployment security will begin at the earliest from the date of registration.
Register as a job seeker
The most convenient way to register as a job seeker is in the E-services at Job Market Finland. Report all your employment relationships from the last two years, as well as other employment relationships and education information relevant to your job search. Your job search will start as soon as you have answered the questions in the online service and submitted the information. After submitting your reply, you will receive instructions on how to continue.
If you do not have online banking credentials, a mobile certificate, or a chip ID card or for some other reason cannot log in to Job Market Finland, you can register as a job seeker using a printable paper form, at a TE Office location, or by calling the personal customer's general counceling service by telephone. Please note that from the beginning of 2025, the responsibility for organising employment services will be transferred to municipalities, and at that time, on-site registration will take place at your regional employment service office.
Also be prepared to present your degree and work certificates and, if necessary, a certificate of military or civil service time.
- Handling official matters and registering as a job seeker
- Local TE Offices (toimistot.te-palvelut.fi)
Apply for unemployment security
You can apply for unemployment benefits either from your own unemployment fund or from Kela, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland. In order to be entitled to unemployment security, your job search has to be valid. The waiting period begins only after you have started your job search. You will not receive unemployment allowance for the duration of the waiting period.
- Students (kela.fi)
- Military and non-military service (kela.fi)
- Labour market subsidy (kela.fi)
- How to apply for labour market subsidy (kela.fi)
- How to apply for earnings-related allowance from the unemployment fund (tyj.fi)
Look for employment independently
After registering as a job seeker, you will be considered when the employment services look for suitable people for the advertised open jobs. However, having been registered as a job seeker is no replacement for your own active efforts to find employment. In other words, start applying for jobs before your service ends or immediately thereafter.
Act as a job seeker in the agreed manner
In the employment plan you have agreed on the goals of your job search, your own duties and the required services. By acting as agreed in the plan and reporting any changes in your job search situation, you will ensure that you will receive unemployment allowance and find a job as quickly as possible.
You can contact your assigned service specialist in the E-services at Job Market Finland. There you can also view all your open tasks. From the personal customer's general counseling service, you can get help with topics related to employment, handling matters with TE Services, the use of online services, and, if necessary, get follow-up guidance on other services suitable for you.