Pay subsidy is a subsidy paid to the employer. It allows employers to hire you and support you with developing your skills on the job. Pay-subsidised work helps you gain work experience, develop your professional skills and enter the open labour market.
An employer may be able to get a pay subsidy for hiring you if any of the following apply to you:
- you are between 15 and 24 years old or over 50 years old
- you do not have a general upper secondary degree or vocational upper secondary qualification
- you are entitled to an integration plan
- you have not been gainfully employed in the last six months
A pay subsidy may also be possible if
- you are hired as an apprentice,
- you have diminished work abilities, or
- you are over 60 and have been unemployed for a long time.
Contact Helsinki Employment Services
You can contact Helsinki Employment Services through e-services, by phone and by email.
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Job Market Finland E-services
You can handle matters with Helsinki Employment Services.
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Helsinki Employment Services' email address.
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You can send personal information or attachments via the Securemail service. Using the service requires strong authentication.
Call us
Call Helsinki Employment Services
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How you can improve your chances of getting a job with pay subsidy
Please note that you can only start at a pay-subsidised job once we have granted the pay subsidy to your employer.
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Meet with an expert
Bring up pay subsidy with our expert if at least one of the following conditions is met:
- You are under 25.
- You are over 50.
- You do not have an upper secondary degree.
- You are entitled to the integration plan.
- You have not worked as an employee or entrepreneur in the past six months.
Pay subsidy can also be applied for:
- apprenticeship training or
if your work ability is compromised (you have a diagnosis of an injury or a disease of a permanent nature).
Bring up pay subsidy as an option with an expert if any of the following apply to you:
- you are under 25
- you are over 50
- you do not have an upper secondary degree
- you are entitled to an integration plan
- you have not been gainfully employed or self-employed in the last 6 months.
You can also apply for pay subsidy if
- you are hired as an apprentice,
- you have a reduced work ability (you have been diagnosed with a permanent disability or illness), or
- you are 60 or over and have been unemployed for at least 12 months during the previous 14 months.
Before your job interview, contact the Helsinki Employment Services to find out if pay subsidy can be applied in your situation. You can submit a contact request in the E-services at Job Market Finland(Link leads to external service)
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Apply for jobs
Apply for jobs that interest you and contact employers. Inform the employer about the opportunity to receive a pay subsidy if they hire you. If necessary, you will receive a pay subsidy card to support your job seeking, which you can show to the employer.
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Ask the employer to apply for pay subsidy
After finding a suitable job, ask the employer to submit an application for pay subsidy to the Helsinki Employment Services well in advance of starting the employment relationship. The employer can apply for support in the Business E-services at Job Market Finland(Link leads to external service)
Frequently asked questions about the pay subsidy
The pay subsidy usually covers 50% or 70% of your pay. The maximum amount of aid per month varies between 1,260 and 2,020 euros.
The maximum duration of the pay subsidy is usually 5 or 10 months. However, the pay subsidy’s maximum duration is the employment term. The subsidy can also be granted for a longer period if you have reduced work abilities or if you are over 60 and have been unemployed for a long time.
The pay subsidy may be granted for the entire duration of an apprenticeship training.
The pay subsidy is paid directly to your employer. Your employer can be a company, other organisation, a municipality, joint municipal authority or a wellbeing services county.
The pay subsidy is contingent on the employer paying you at least a salary that is in accordance with a collective agreement. If a collective agreement is not applied to the job in question, the salary must be normal and reasonable in relation to the work.
The pay subsidy is always paid to the employer, who then pays you a normal salary.
If you are over 55 and have been unemployed for at least two years, you may be eligible for employment subsidy. The amount of the subsidy is 70% of the salary, up to a maximum of €1,770 per month, and the maximum duration is 10 months. Read more about employment subsidy for people aged 55 and over.
If you are aged 60 or over and have been unemployed for at least 12 months in the previous 14 months, pay subsidy can be granted for 24 months, provided that the conditions are met.
It is also possible to continue to receive a pay subsidy for 24 months at a time until retirement age. The subsidy is 50% of your pay, up to a maximum of €1,260 per month.
Contact our specialist at the Helsinki Employment Services. You can submit a contact request in the E-services at Job Market Finland(Link leads to external service)