Jobseeker rights
- You will receive unemployment benefits from Kela or your unemployment fund if your situation meets the conditions of your unemployment benefits.
- Specialists at Employment Services will help and support you in looking for work and guide you in matters related to e.g. unemployment benefits.
- We offer free services that will help you find work or training opportunities. These are examples of the services you can get:
Jobseeker responsibilities
As a jobseeker, you have certain responsibilities. When you comply with them, you are eligible for unemployment benefits. If you are unsure about your responsibilities, ask your assigned specialist for guidance.
Unemployment benefits are conditional. To qualify for unemployment benefit, you must fulfil your obligations as a jobseeker. Apply actively for jobs and participate in the services that Employment Services assigns to you.
The obligation to seek work means that, as a jobseeker, you must apply for work every month.
Jobseekers are usually required to apply for four jobs per month, but the number of jobs you need to apply for will be assessed and confirmed in your employment plan. You will agree on this with your assigned specialist when you register as a jobseeker and whenever you update your employment plan. Your specialist will contact you every three months or so to check whether your job search obligations need to be updated.
Employment Services will make you job offers for suitable vacancies. When we indicate a job for you to apply for, you must always apply for that job.
You must apply for any jobs indicated by Employment Services, even if you have already applied for the required number of jobs. These job offers made by Employment Services, i.e. jobs indicated to you, are binding for the entire duration of your job search.
If you are under 25 years of age(Link leads to external service) and do not have a vocational qualification, you must also apply for at least two study places.
Your specialist will contact you every three months to see if you need to update your job search obligation.
You can fulfil your obligation to seek work in many ways, such as by
- applying for a job that lasts at least two weeks if this has been agreed upon in your plan.
- replying to a job advertisement or submitting an open application to an employer.
- requesting additional hours from your current employer if you are working part-time. You can use this method to fulfil your job search obligation once per review period.
- registering as an applicant in a temporary work agency or applying for a job through a temporary work agency.
- publishing a job search profile on the Job Market Finland website (Link leads to external service) or another job search site, or by publishing your portfolio online.
- becoming an entrepreneur.
- applying for work grants.
- Notify Employment Services of the type of work you have applied for, how and where. Our specialist will agree with you on a deadline by which you must report on your job search.
- Use the Job Market Finland E-services(Link leads to external service) for contacts unless you have agreed on a different reporting method with your specialist.
- Repeated negligence of your obligation to seek work or other obligations affects the payment of your unemployment benefits.
- If you start working or studying or become an entrepreneur, please let us know without delay.
Unemployment benefit sanctions will be tightened from 1 March 2026 onwards. From the beginning of March onwards, your job search will be interrupted upon your first failure to fulfil your obligations. Failing to fulfil your obligations even once will result in a seven-day mandatory waiting period without benefits.
Explore the topic: What’s new with Employment Services | City of Helsinki
If your job search is interrupted or discontinued, you will not receive the unemployment benefit.
Always do as agreed with your specialist, at the agreed time and by the agreed deadline. Respond to requests for clarification, calls and messages that you receive from us. Your jobseeker status may be suspended if you do not do as agreed or respond when the Employment Services is trying to contact you.
You can activate your job search by re-registering as a jobseeker Job Market Finland E-services(Link leads to external service) . If you are unable to use Job Market Finland’s E-services, please contact Employment Services’ advisory service.
If you no longer need help seeking work and do not need unemployment benefits, conclude your job search in the Job Market Finland E-services. (Link leads to external service)
Unemployment benefit sanctions will be tightened from 1 March 2026 onwards. From the beginning of March onwards, your job search will be interrupted upon your first failure to fulfil your obligations. Failing to fulfil your obligations even once will result in a seven-day mandatory waiting period without benefits.
Explore the topic: What’s new with Employment Services | City of Helsinki
The Employment Services do not receive change of address information from the Population Information System, so you must provide us with the new address yourself. You can update your contact information in the Job Market Finland E-services(Link leads to external service) . Also let us know if your phone number or email changes.
For example, a mandatory waiting period may be imposed if you
- fail to attend appointments with Employment Services as agreed
- resign from your job without a valid reason
- interrupt or refuse a service
- refuse a job offered to you or a binding job offer for no valid reason.
Unemployment benefits will not be paid to you during the waiting period.
Unemployment benefit sanctions will be tightened from 1 March 2026 onwards. From the beginning of March onwards, your job search will be interrupted upon your first failure to fulfil your obligations. Failing to fulfil your obligations even once will result in a seven-day mandatory waiting period without benefits.
Read more about the upcoming changes on our website: What’s new with Employment Services | City of Helsinki