Changes to work requirement for unemployment benefits – harder to qualify for earnings-related daily allowance or basic unemployment allowance

The rules concerning the work requirement for paid employment, wage-subsidised employment or employment-promoting services will change on 2 September 2024. The change is due to new legislation adopted by Parliament on changes to the work requirement.

The work requirement is applied in assessing the right of unemployed persons to receive earnings-related daily allowance or basic unemployment allowance. The change in the work requirement means that an unemployed person must have a longer work history in order to receive earnings-related daily allowance or the basic unemployment allowance paid by Kela.

“However, it has been estimated that it may become a little easier on average to meet the work requirement, because work history can be accrued from fewer working hours per week than previously,” says Antti Ristimäki, Legal Counsel at Kela.

New work requirement based on monthly salary of at least EUR 465

Under the new legislation, it depends solely on the amount of monthly salary or wages earned by the employee whether a month counts towards fulfilment of the work requirement. This change has commonly been referred to as a “conversion of the work requirement into euros”.

Previously, work history was accrued for the work requirement on the basis of working hours. Work history was accrued for any calendar weeks in which an employee worked for at least 18 hours a week. No work history was accrued for weeks with fewer working hours than that.

The conversion into euros may prove particularly helpful for employees with less than 18 hours of work per week, provided that their salary or wage is at least 465 euros per month.

“The new work requirement is fairer for people who have some kind of irregular part-time arrangement at work. The reform has little impact on the right to unemployment allowance for full-time employees or people with a regular part-time job,” says Ristimäki.

Work requirement to be extended from 6 months to 12 months

In the past, an unemployed person was required to have worked for about 6 months before becoming unemployed in order to meet the work requirement. The work requirement will now be extended to 12 months.

A calendar month will count towards the new work requirement if the employee receives a minimum of EUR 930 in salary or wages during that month. If the employee receives a salary of EUR 465–929 during the calendar month, half a month will count towards the requirement.

Under the new legislation, work history for the work requirement can be accrued from fewer working hours, provided the employee has a high enough income. If an employee has a monthly income under EUR 465, the work they do does not count towards the new work requirement.

The new work requirement is fulfilled if a total of 12 months of work have accrued during the 28-month reference period.

As before, the work requirement does not have to be fulfilled during a single, consecutive period of employment. All work that meets the conditions and falls within a reference period of 28 months counts towards the work requirement.

The old and new work requirement can be added up

In practice, the length of the work requirement changes to 12 months for everyone who is employed when the law enters into force on 2 September 2024 and who is subsequently paid a minimum of 465 euros per month.

“If by September you have accrued part of the work history needed for the old, shorter work requirement, it will not go to waste, as it will be added to the new work requirement,” Ristimäki says.

Here, it is important to note that in cases where work history for the old and new work requirement are added up, the unemployed person is then required to fulfil the new, longer work requirement of 12 months.

Learn more about the changes to the employee work requirement

As of 2 September 2024, there are also changes to the application of the work requirement to wage-subsidised work and participation in employment-promoting services.

Participation in employment-promoting services will no longer count towards the work requirement. Periods of wage-subsidised work will count towards the work requirement only in certain cases.

Read the press release on changes in the accrual of the work requirement for wage-subsidised work and participation in employment-promoting services.

What is the work requirement?

The work requirement means that an unemployed person must have worked for a required length of time before becoming unemployed.  In addition, the work must meet certain other conditions in order to count towards the work requirement.

If the work requirement is met, the unemployed person may receive earnings-related daily allowance or basic unemployment allowance. If the unemployed person does not meet the work requirement, they may receive labour market subsidy.

In April 2024, a total of 36,044 people received basic unemployment allowance from Kela (EUR 26.59 million) while 162,068 people received labour market subsidy (EUR 138.51 million). Earnings-related daily allowance from unemployment funds was paid to 134,155 people (EUR 200.60 million).

Read more:

Kela: How the work requirement will change

Kela: What is the work requirement?

Kela: Statistics on unemployment benefits in Finland

Ministry of Social Affairs and Health: Frequently asked questions about changes to the work requirement (in Finnish)