🛡️ Unemployment Security in Finland 2025
👷♀️ Employee
- The right to unemployment security arises when the employment condition is met (at least 6 months of work within 28 months).
- Waiting period: If you resign yourself, there is usually a 45-day waiting period.
- Unemployment fund: If you have been a member for at least 6-9 months, you will receive earnings-related daily allowance, which is higher than Kela’s basic daily allowance.
- Basic daily allowance (2025): 37.21 €/day (Kela).
🧑💼 Entrepreneur and Light Entrepreneur
- Entrepreneur’s unemployment security requires that you have paid YEL insurance, and the earned income is at least 15,128 € per year (2025).
- Earnings-related daily allowance is possible if you belong to the Entrepreneur Fund (e.g., SYT).
- Kela’s basic daily allowance is possible if you do not belong to the fund but meet the YEL conditions.
- A light entrepreneur (e.g., UKKO.fi, Odeal) often operates without their own business ID, but can still be considered an entrepreneur for taxation and unemployment security.
🔄 Part-time Entrepreneurship and Right to Unemployment Security
- If the business activity is part-time, you can receive adjusted unemployment security.
- Part-time status is assessed based on the amount of work, not income.
- New business activities can be tried for 4 months, after which the TE Office assesses whether it is full-time or part-time.
- If the business activity is considered full-time, the right to unemployment security ends.
📝 Steps to Take When Unemployment Begins:
- Register as a job seeker at the TE Office.
- Inform if you have business activities or light entrepreneurship.
- Apply for unemployment benefits from Kela or the unemployment fund.
- Request a statement on the part-time nature of the business activities if necessary.