Finland to apply for support from the EU in connection with Nokia redundancies

On Tuesday 22 November 2016, Finland submitted an application for support from the European Globalisation Fund for redundant Nokia workers. The funding is meant to support nearly a thousand people laid off from Nokia. The support applied from the European Commission amounts to EUR 4.4 million.

In the coming months, Finland will also be submitting an application to the European Globalisation Fund (EGF) to support the people who were laid off from Microsoft during this year.

“Both the Nokia and the Microsoft redundancies are a part of a larger structural change in the ICT sector. The demands on people working in this sector are changing at a fast pace. With the help of the EGF support, it will be possible to update the competence of current top professionals to meet future requirements, too”, states Minister of Justice and Employment Jari Lindström.

Support measures for the laid off employees to start immediately

Support measures will be started soon after delivering the notice of termination, even though preparing and processing the EGF application will take time.

“It is extremely important that advice and instructions are available for the laid off workers immediately if the situation so requires. Close cooperation between the laid off workers and their previous employers is also essential”, says Minister Lindström.

Finland to make active use of EGF support

There are currently many other projects in Finland also operating on EGF support. In October 2016, Finland received a funding decision from the EU for supporting the people laid off from Microsoft in 2015.

The funding decision on the project concerning the laid off University of Helsinki and Aalto University employees is expected to arrive in early 2017. Finland submitted the application to the European Commission in July 2016.

In spring 2017, Finland intends to submit an EGF application to support the laid off Anttila and Stockmann workers.

The EU provides 60 per cent of funding for the EGF support, which each country is responsible for 40 per cent. In cases of major structural changes, support is granted from the fund for active employment policy measures, such as different forms of training, education, promotion of mobility, pay subsidies and start-up grants.

Further information about the fund is available at www.egr.fi

Further Information:

Tapani Kojonsaari, Senior Adviser, Ministry of Employment and the Economy, tel. +358 50 456 2547