Instructions for the start or end of employment

Are you wondering whether you need to notify the TE Office, the local government pilot, or the party paying your unemployment benefit of the start or end of your employment? The decisive factor is whether the work lasts over or under two weeks.

If you are a customer of a TE Office or a local government pilot, always report any changes in your work situation. You can submit a notification in the ‘E-services' section of Job Market Finland or call the telephone service.

At the same time, indicate whether you intend to apply for unemployment security after your employment situation has changed. If necessary, you will receive a new labour policy statement on your right to unemployment security.

You can only receive unemployment security for the time that you are a job seeker and looking for full-time employment. If you are a job seeker who receives a partial disability pension, you do not need to apply for full-time employment.

You can find employment services, like registering as a job seeker, in the 'E-services' section.

Go to E-services

Termination of entrepreneurial activity of a private entrepreneur

If you are a private entrepreneur, the termination criteria applied to your entrepreneurship are different from those applied to company form business operations. Under the Unemployment Security Act, your entrepreneurial activity as a private entrepreneur is seen to have ceased when production and economic activities have ended according to your notification which is deemed reliable, or it is otherwise evident that you will no longer continue the entrepreneurial activity. It is an additional requirement that you have cancelled your entrepreneur's pension insurance (YEL) or farmer's pension insurance (MYEL), except for MYEL taken out for a grant period.

The TE Office or the local government pilot will, before the matter is decided, send a written request for clarification regarding your entrepreneurial activity.

When you start an employment relationship lasting up to two weeks

  • inform the party paying for your unemployment security of your employment.  

When you start entrepreneurial activity lasting up to two weeks,

  • inform the party paying for your unemployment benefit of your employment, and
  • also inform the TE Office or the local government pilot of your employment if your entrepreneurial activity has previously been considered part-time and your business is expanding, or you are unsure of the duration of your entrepreneurial activity.

When you end an employment relationship or entrepreneurial activity that lasted no more than two weeks, notify the payer of your unemployment benefit of it.

When you start an employment relationship or entrepreneurial activity lasting more than two weeks, report it to

  • the TE Office or the local government pilot, and
  • the payer of your unemployment benefit.

If you wish, you can continue as a job seeker in the TE Services or you can stop your job search completely.  

  • If you stop your job search, you are not entitled to unemployment security.  
  • If you continue as a job seeker, the TE Office or the local government pilot will determine whether you are entitled to unemployment security. In order to be eligible for unemployment security, you must, among other things, keep your job search valid and apply for full-time employment.
  • As a job seeker, you may be entitled to unemployment security for a period of four months when you are an entrepreneur or self-employed, if the new activity starts during your unemployment.
  • You may also be entitled to an adjusted unemployment benefit if the employment relationship is part-time and lasts over two weeks.

When you end an employment relationship or entrepreneurial activity that has lasted more than two weeks, you should take action according to whether your job search is valid.   

  • If your job search is not valid, register as a job seeker.
  • If your job search is already valid, notify the TE Office or the local government pilot of the changes in your situation.

The TE Office or the local government pilot will determine whether you are entitled to unemployment security and can ask you to submit certificates of your business activities or employment relationship.

More information

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