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17.1.2017 | Hallituskausi_2011-2015_fi-en.tmx Neuvottelutulos hallitusohjelmasta PROGRAMME OF THE FINNISH GOVERNMENT Avoin, oikeudenmukainen ja rohkea Suomi An open, fair and confident Finland Jyrki Kataisen hallituksen tavoitteena on välittävä ja menestyvä S...

17.1.2017 | Hallituskausi_2011-2015_fi-en.tmx Neuvottelutulos hallitusohjelmasta PROGRAMME OF THE FINNISH GOVERNMENT Avoin, oikeudenmukainen ja rohkea Suomi An open, fair and confident Finland Jyrki Kataisen hallituksen tavoitteena on välittävä ja menestyvä S...

18.2.2021 | Entrepreneurs and self-employed persons are entitled to labour market support because of the coronavirus pandemic under a temporary amendment to the Unemployment Security Act in force until the end of March. On 18 February 2021, the Government submitted a proposal to Parliament to extend the right of entrepreneurs and self-employed persons to labour market support until 30 June 2021. The aim is to ensure the livelihood of entrepreneurs and self-employed persons during the pandemic.

23.6.2020 | Parliament has approved government proposals to extend the period of validity of the temporary legislative amendment on awarding start-up grants until the end of 2020. The President of the Republic is to approve the amendment on 26 June 2020 and it will enter into force on 1 July 2020.

28.1.2021 | The right of entrepreneurs to claim labour market support will continue until the end of June 2021. The Government decided on the matter on 27 January 2021 and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment will start preparing the legislative amendment immediately.

30.9.2021 | The Government proposes an experiment to assess what impact recruitment subsidy would have on a company hiring its first employee. The experiment will examine whether financial support for payroll costs would lower the threshold for recruitment. The objective is to support business growth and promote employment. The pilot is scheduled to start on 1 March 2022 and last until the end of 2023.

30.6.2022 | The Act on Työkanava Ltd will enter into force on 1 July. The company’s business operations will begin in stages during 2022. Työkanava will receive additional funding from the supplementary budget in July to launch its operations. Sari Nikkola will start as the company’s chief executive on 1 September 2022.

20.1.2022 | Entrepreneurs have been temporarily entitled to labour market support on more flexible terms during the coronavirus pandemic. Due to the deteriorating coronavirus situation, the Government submitted a proposal to Parliament on Thursday 20 January 2022 to extend the temporary amendment.

21.5.2025 | English Style Guide A handbook for translators, revisers and authors of government texts Prime Minister’s Office, Finland ENGLISH STYLE GUIDE | PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE, FINLAND | 2025 2 Contents Quick reference guide .................................

9.9.2021 | During the coronavirus pandemic, entrepreneurs have been entitled to labour market support on less stringent conditions than usual. The Government proposes that the right to labour market support would continue under the same conditions until 30 November 2021.

21.5.2025 | English Style Guide A handbook for translators, revisers and authors of government texts Prime Minister’s Office, Finland ENGLISH STYLE GUIDE | PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE, FINLAND | 2025 2 Contents Quick reference guide .................................

3.2.2023 | More than 45,000 people who fled Ukraine last year may be eligible for a municipality of residence in 2023 after residing in Finland for one year, with about 13,000 already satisfying the qualifying period of residence in March–April. On registering a municipality of residence, they will leave the reception services system and become clients of municipalities and wellbeing services counties. This will make them a more integrated part of society in Finland.

13.6.2024 | The Government is seeking to strengthen the link between work and work-based residence permits, and to improve permit supervision. Worker’s residence permit holders in Finland would also have better opportunities to find new employment in sectors with a labour shortage. The Government proposal has been circulated for comments between 13 June and 16 August 2024.

2.6.2025 | The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment is organising a consultation round from 2 June to 28 July 2025 on legislative amendments to the grounds for fixed-term employment contracts, the duration of the notice period for layoffs and the re-employment obligation of employers. The proposed amendments have been prepared in a tripartite working group that was not unanimous in its work.

17.10.2024 | The Government is seeking to strengthen the link between work and work-based residence permits, and to make permit supervision after the entry into Finland more systematic. The proposal takes the long recruitment times of specialists into consideration. At the same time, the proposal would offer foreigners more opportunities to find new work in the national labour shortage sectors. 

15.1.2026 | Under the proposal, a fixed-term employment contract could be concluded without a justified reason for a maximum of one year if certain conditions are met. The Government also proposes to shorten the notice period for lay-offs and to limit the employer’s obligation to re-employ dismissed employees. The proposal for the amendments was submitted to Parliament on 15 January 2026.

14.8.2019 | Minister of Finance Mika Lintilä’s draft budget for 2020 will strengthen the confidence felt in the future by individuals and businesses at a time when uncertainty about the global economy is growing. The proposals in the draft budget total EUR 57.0 billion and are based on the Government Programme.

12.8.2021 | The 2022 budget proposal of Minister of Finance Annika Saarikko implements previous Government decisions.

3.9.2024 | The 2025 budget proposal of Prime Minister Orpo's Government bolsters conditions for economic growth. Economic growth driven by the private sector will also serve to secure the financing base for central government finances. The fast-acting measures to curb indebtedness that were decided on due to the difficult situation in central government finances will move forward.

15.3.2021 | The Sustainable Growth Programme for Finland will boost investment in emissions reducing solutions, accelerate sustainable growth in the economy, and create long-term growth potential. Half of the funding involved will be for promoting a green transition, and about a quarter will be for digitalisation. The Programme will also boost public investment in research, development and innovation by approximately EUR 700 million.

5.4.2022 | Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s Government has agreed on the General Government Fiscal Plan for 2023–2026. In its spending limits discussion, the Government decided on extensive measures that will strengthen security, create a vision for the future and build sustainable growth.

5.4.2022 | Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s Government has agreed on the General Government Fiscal Plan for 2023–2026. In its spending limits discussion, the Government decided on extensive measures that will strengthen security, create a vision for the future and build sustainable growth.

5.8.2022 | The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health proposes appropriations of about EUR 15.8 billion for the Ministry and its administrative branch for 2023. This is about EUR 0.2 billion less than in the 2022 Budget. The decrease is mainly due to the end of the Government Programme projects and changes in the needs assessment.

5.11.2019 | “One of the most important objectives of this Government is to have a much larger proportion of the working age population with full or partial work capacity to engage either in gainful employment or self-employment, and thereby pursue their dreams and help to build a better Finland. To promote self-employment, all entrepreneurial matters were incorporated into one entrepreneurship strategy in ...

2.9.2020 | The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has issued an updated information package collating follow-up data on how the coronavirus epidemic affects companies and the labour market as well as the service capacity and operating environment in the Ministry’s administrative branch. This time, the main observations in the release concern the financial support granted to companies due to the coronavirus epidemic and the lay-off situation.

13.3.2020 | The total gross number of new jobs created in Finland in 2018 was approximately 337,000. The growth of new jobs was 4–5 times the increase in net employment, with the number of those employed increasing by almost 67,000. However, as employers recruited 736,000 people in total, recruitment volume was nearly 11 times higher.

29.4.2021 | The Government is committed to a long-term approach in its work to raise the employment rate through decisions that will bring an estimated 80,000 new jobs.

13.8.2021 | The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health proposes appropriations of about EUR 16.5 billion for the Ministry and its administrative branch for 2022. This is about EUR 1.3 billion less than in the 2021 Budget. The decrease is mainly due to one-off payments to compensate for the costs caused by COVID-19 to the healthcare and welfare service system. The biggest increases arise from the dismantling of the backlog in treatment and services and the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.

1.11.2019 | The employment impact of the jobseeker activation scheme, or activation model, is difficult to distinguish from that resulting from the economic boom, which is why the report does not provide any numerical data on employment effects.

21.10.2021 | A state-owned special assignment company named Työkanava Ltd will be established in Finland. Its task is to promote the employment of people with partial work ability who are in the most difficult labour market position. The company would support their skills so that the people could find employment in the open labour market after working at Työkanava.

8.3.2019 | “Regular meetings with the unemployed provide a practical way to reduce unemployment. Interviews offer an opportunity for genuine human contact. They provide a better insight into the person’s current situation and challenges experienced with job seeking. These meetings have facilitated employment,” explains Jari Lindström, Minister of Employment.

27.9.2021 | The Government proposes appropriations of about EUR 15.9 billion for the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and its administrative branch for 2022. This is about EUR 1.9 billion less than in the 2021 Budget. The decrease is mainly due to one-off payments to compensate for the costs caused by COVID-19 to the healthcare and welfare service system.

2.9.2020 | Current employment services do not recognise the individual situations and competences of people with partial work capacity efficiently, which is why employment outcomes for them are often poor. At least 40,000 people would be willing to contribute to the labour market if it was made possible for them.

7.6.2022 | Speech to Parliament presenting the 2021 Government Annual Report for referral debate on Tuesday 7 June at 14.00

7.9.2022 | In June-July, the Ministry of the Interior conducted an online survey to assess the situation and need for different services of Ukrainians who have fled to Finland. A total of 2,136 people responded to the survey.

1.9.2021 | In its mid-term policy review in spring 2021, the Government decided to continue preparations for the transfer of employment and economic development services (TE services) to municipalities. The services will be transferred to municipalities in 2024. At its meeting of 31 August 2021, the Ministerial Working Group on Promoting Employment decided on the principles that relate to the employment base of municipalities providing services, cooperation between municipalities and the transfer of staff.

6.10.2022 | The Government’s proposal to comprehensively reform the Act on the Promotion of Immigrant Integration (hereinafter, the Integration Act) aims to strengthen the inclusion of immigrants in society and to make the promotion of integration more efficient. Another goal is to increase equality and wellbeing and advance good relations between population groups. The reform seeks to facilitate the path of immigra...

12.5.2021 | Entrepreneurs have been temporarily entitled to labour market support because of the coronavirus pandemic. On 12 May 2021, the Government submitted a proposal to Parliament to extend the right of entrepreneurs to labour market support until 30 September 2021. The aim is to ensure the livelihood of entrepreneurs in the uncertain situation caused by the pandemic.

18.8.2021 | Last year, 40% of employers looking for workforce experienced recruitment problems, and despite the coronavirus crisis, the level of such problems was the third highest ever recorded in Finland. An analysis by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment published on 18 August 2021 shows that social and healthcare sectors suffered from recruitment problems the most, with 54% of employers searching for workforce in that sector experiencing difficulties.

11.2.2022 | As part of its commitment to raise the employment rate, the Government decided on new employment measures on 11 February 2022 that will boost its existing measures.

26.1.2022 | Employment and economic development services (TE services) are set to be transferred to municipalities during 2024. The Government’s decision is related to its aim to raise the employment rate and to increase municipal responsibility for employment services. The reform will have a broad impact on the employees and duties of both TE Offices and municipalities.

1.3.2019 | The tripartite working group appointed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment was unable to reach an agreement on a model for independent job seeking. Had it been implemented, the model would have affected jobseekers’ obligations to apply for jobs as a condition of receiving unem-ployment benefit, and would have increased equality between jobseekers.

20.5.2020 | The Government proposes a temporary increase in the exempt amount of the unemployment benefit. Eligibility for commuting and relocation allowance for full-time work would be amended temporarily by decreasing the distance required for daily commuting.

8.7.2021 | In future, the Employment and Economic Development Office (TE Office) of Uusimaa will give certain labour policy statements on the eligibility conditions for the unemployment benefit with respect to the territories of all TE Offices. The aim is to further harmonise the processing times and decision-making practices. Another aim is that statements on the eligibility conditions for the unemployment benefit will be processed without delay.

9.2.2021 | At the request of Minister of Employment Tuula Haatainen, Director General of Finnish Customs Hannu Mäkinen has formulated a proposal to improve the opportunities of people with partial work ability to find employment. Mäkinen proposes that Finland should take Sweden’s Samhall company as a model, but adapt it to the Finnish needs.

1.9.2022 | The measures taken in the administrative branch of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment will support socially, economically and ecologically sustainable economic growth. Combating climate change, utilising all available labour input and boosting productivity growth are key objectives in the administrative branch.

4.4.2022 | Those granted temporary protection have the right to work without any restrictions or delay as soon as they have received a decision on temporary protection. They do not need to wait for a residence permit card. They can also register as jobseekers at the TE Office and receive employment support services, says an instructional leaflet prepared by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (MEAE). 

25.3.2022 | Finland grants temporary protection to those fleeing the war in Ukraine. Those granted temporary protection have the right to work without any restrictions or delay as soon as they have been issued a residence permit and a residence permit card. They can also register as jobseekers at the TE Office and receive employment support services, says an instructional leaflet prepared by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, which will be distributed to people arriving at Finland’s borders. 

2.12.2021 | The Ministerial Working Group on Promoting Employment decided on 2 December 2021 on the funding model for the TE services reform 2024 as an incentive for municipalities to develop and offer efficient employment services. The ministerial working group also refined its previous outlines on tasks that are centralised nationally and tasks that are transferring to the municipalities.

5.8.2022 | Appropriations of around EUR 3.78 billion are proposed for the administrative branch of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment for 2023, which is EUR 236 million more than in the 2022 budget. In connection with the implementation of the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Plan, a total of EUR 346.13 million in appropriations and EUR 101.5 million in budget authority will be allocated to the administrative branch of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.

15.6.2022 | The EU ministers responsible for employment and social affairs will meet at the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) in Luxembourg on 16 June 2022. Finland’s representatives at the Council will be Minister of Employment Tuula Haatainen and Minister of Social Affairs and Health Hanna Sarkkinen. 

15.2.2023 | During 2019–2023, the Government’s working capacity programme sought solutions to the employment problems of people with impaired capacity to work. At the same time, the programme developed more effective services to support working capacity. The closing event of the programme on 15 February examined the employment of people with impaired work capacity from the perspective of social sustainability, inclusion and the service system.

5.4.2022 | The number of occupations suffering from labour shortage has risen to the pre-COVID level and the occupations in the social welfare and healthcare sector are still at the top of the list. New shortage occupations are occupations in the restaurant and construction sectors. The number of surplus occupations has declined only slightly.

2.5.2022 | The objective of the legislative proposal is also to promote social inclusion, health and wellbeing of immigrants, to increase equality and to strengthen good relations between population groups. According to the proposal to be sent out for comments, services promoting integration would be organised as part of the municipal integration programme and other services. 

23.6.2020 | Parliament has approved the Government’s proposals to extend the duration of the temporary amendments concerning lay-offs, co-operation procedures and the right of laid-off employees and entrepreneurs to unemployment security until the end of 2020. The President of the Republic is to approve the amendments on 26 June 2020, and they would largely enter into force on 11 July 2020.

31.3.2022 | Työkanava Ltd, a special assignment company wholly owned by the State, will start to employ people with impaired capacity to work who are in the most difficult labour market position. The Government submitted the bill concerning the Act on Työkanava for approval on 31 March. The President of the Republic is to approve the bill on Friday 1 April. The Act is intended to enter into force on 1 July 2022.

22.6.2021 | To boost the employment of persons with partial work capacity, the Government decided in its mid-term policy review session to set up a state-owned company with a special assignment. The company is tasked with recruiting such persons for longer-term employment relationships and providing them with support in carrying out their duties. Another objective is to promote the opportunities for employees to advance in their careers and take up employment with new employers.

13.4.2023 | The comprehensive reform of the Integration Act, which will enter into force in 2025, will improve integration and strengthen the inclusion of immigrants in society. The reform will facilitate the path of immigrants towards employment and improve the access of immigrant women and others outside the labour force to services.

1.11.2022 | This autumn’s Occupational Barometer indicates that the increase in labour shortages has levelled off. At the national level, the Occupational Barometer nevertheless identified 56 shortage occupations out of 200 key occupations.

7.7.2022 | The consultation round for the draft legislative proposal of the TE services reform 2024 ended on 27 June 2022. A total of 373 statements were submitted by the deadline. Based on the feedback, the Ministerial Working Group on Promoting Employment outlined certain new policies on 7 July concerning, among other things, the responsibility of municipalities for organising services, the provision of services, and the funding model.