To Do List for the soon to be unemployed
The To Do List for the unemployed below helps those who have had their employment contract revoked or been laid off by their employers.
- Make sure that the reason for the revoking of your employment contract is legal.
- Request a written employment certificate from your employer in which the period of employment and the nature of the duties of the employee should be stated. The reason for the termination of the employment, and the evaluation of the skills and behavior of the employee during the period of employment should also be provided, if the employee so requests.
- Request your pay check from the previous 43 weeks of work.
- Register at the employment office as a job-seeker who is looking for a full-time job. Do this on your last work day or before that if possible. To register as a job-seeker in order to be eligible for unemployment security, you must always personally visit an employment office.
- You will be entitled to the basic daily allowance paid by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela), if you meet a specific condition regarding your employment history (i.e., you must have been employed for at least 8 months during the two years preceding the unemployment). If you have been a member of an unemployment fund for the minium period of 10 months, you are entitled to an Earnings-related Unemployment Allowance from your unemployment fund.
- You receive a claim for the unemployment benefit from KELA, which you should fill and send to KELA (Basic daily allowance) or to your unemployment fund (Earnings-related Unemployment Allowance) within three months of the first day when you are entitled to an unemployment benefit. Once you have been issued Basic Unemployment Allowance you must renew your status as an unemployed job-seeker by reporting regularly to Kela.
- An absolute precondition for maintaining your right to unemployment security is that your registration as a job-seeker remains valid. You must always sign in at the employment office no later than on the date set by the office. To qualify for unemployment security, you must be available to the labour market. If you set restrictions that prevent you from accepting work or training offered to you, you are not regarded as available to the labour market.
- Do use the services provided by the employment office. You will receive information of their services on your first visit.
- If there are any changes in your status as a job-seeker, inform your employment office and your unemployment fund immediately.
- When your first claim for unemployment has been processed, you will receive Labour Market Subsidy. Oncce you have been issued Labour Market Subsidy, you must renew your status as an unemployed job- seeker by reporting regularly to Kela. For this purpose use the form TT 2e (Unemployment status report).