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If your Finnish employer has temporarily suspended your work (lomautus) or dismissed you, register as an unemployed jobseeker through Job Market Finland no later than your first day without work. Registration can be completed in advance, but it does not itself start benefit payments: you must separately apply to your unemployment fund or Kela.

First identify whether you are temporarily laid off or your employment is ending. The distinction determines notice, pay, reporting, job-search duties and which transition-security rules might apply. The steps below reflect official Finnish guidance available in 2026; your collective agreement, employment contract and individual circumstances can change the result.

Start with the right status: lomautus or dismissal?

In Finland, lomautus is a temporary suspension of work and wage payment while the employment relationship otherwise remains in force. A lay-off may stop all work or reduce your daily or weekly hours. A dismissal (termination for economic or production-related reasons) ends the employment after the applicable notice period.

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Question Temporary lay-off (lomautus) Dismissal
Does the employment relationship continue? Yes. Work and wage payment are suspended or reduced temporarily. It ends after the notice period.
What should you do first? Register as an unemployed jobseeker by the first lay-off day and report whether the lay-off is full or partial. Register by the first day you are unemployed, then apply for benefits and check notice and transition-security rights.
Can you work elsewhere? Yes. Suomi.fi guidance says a laid-off employee may work for another employer. Yes, subject to the obligations that apply during your notice period and any contractual restrictions.
Can you end the employment yourself? You may terminate immediately during a lay-off. After an uninterrupted 200-calendar-day lay-off, the specified compensation rule may apply. You normally remain employed through the employer’s notice period unless the parties agree otherwise.

Keep the employer’s written notice, the dates and extent of the lay-off, your employment contract, pay records and any collective-agreement reference. Those documents help the employment authority, Kela or your fund determine the correct period and amount.

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What to do on the first day

  1. Register with the employment services. Use Job Market Finland for the employment services of your municipality of residence (kotikunta). Kela’s instruction is to register immediately and at the latest on the first day of unemployment or temporary lay-off. Job Market Finland says you may register before the lay-off starts, but not later than its first day. The agency generally cannot pay unemployment benefit for days before registration.
  2. Record exactly what happened. Note whether the lay-off is full-time, reduced hours, reduced workdays or a combination, its starting date and any planned end date. If you are dismissed, record the dismissal date, notice period and stated reason.
  3. Choose the correct benefit payer. If you belong to an unemployment fund and meet its work requirement, apply for earnings-related allowance from that fund. If you are not entitled to fund allowance, apply to Kela for the general social security benefit (yleistuki) if you meet Kela’s conditions. You cannot receive unemployment benefit from Kela and an unemployment fund for the same period.
  4. Follow the instructions you receive. Registration is not a benefit application. Complete the fund or Kela application, provide requested employment information and respond to employment-service messages by their deadlines.

Temporary lay-off notice and what it means

Default notice is seven days

Suomi.fi’s 2026 guidance says an employee generally receives seven days’ notice before a temporary lay-off. A collective agreement can set another period. The same guidance says wellbeing services counties and local government must give one month’s notice. Confirm the rule for your sector rather than relying on the seven-day default.

The notice is normally delivered personally. If personal delivery is not possible, it may be sent by post or electronically. Ask for the notice in writing if the date, scope or reason is unclear.

How long can a lay-off last?

Suomi.fi describes a temporary reduction in work that can support a lay-off of up to 90 days in the stated circumstances. A longer lay-off may be possible when the situation would otherwise meet the conditions for redundancy, subject to the circumstances described in the guidance. The 90-day figure is therefore not a universal maximum for every case.

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Ending your employment during a lay-off

You may terminate your employment immediately while laid off. If the lay-off has continued without interruption for at least 200 calendar days, Suomi.fi says an employee who terminates is entitled to compensation corresponding to the employer’s notice-period wages, including holiday compensation, that would have applied if the employer had terminated the contract. Verify the uninterrupted-day count and the calculation with your employment authority or an adviser before acting.

If you have been dismissed for economic or production reasons

A redundancy dismissal is different from a temporary lay-off. Suomi.fi describes acceptable grounds as diminished profitability or reorganised production or work where the employer cannot provide your previous work, other work or retraining. The reduction in work must be substantial and permanent, not merely a short fluctuation.

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Alternative work and retraining

The employer must offer available alternative work in the relevant enterprise, or in another enterprise where it controls staffing, as described in the official guidance. The employer should also consider whether reasonable retraining could qualify you for available work. Ask the employer to explain what alternatives were assessed if the dismissal notice does not address this.

Your right to reasons and a hearing

You are entitled to know the grounds for dismissal and to be heard before termination. You may bring an assistant or counsel to the hearing. Prepare a short written response, bring relevant documents and ask for unclear claims to be recorded. The employment contract normally continues, with work duties, during the notice period.

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If the stated reason does not appear substantial and permanent, the employer did not consider alternative work or retraining, or the hearing and notice process was not followed, obtain tailored advice promptly. The correct remedy depends on your contract, collective agreement and facts.

Employer notice periods after dismissal

Unless a collective agreement or individual employment contract provides a different period, Suomi.fi lists these default employer notice periods. The length is based on how long the employment has continued.

Continuous employment Default employer notice
No longer than one year 14 days
More than one year to four years 1 month
More than four years to eight years 2 months
More than eight years to twelve years 4 months
More than twelve years 6 months

These are dismissal notice periods, not the seven-day temporary-lay-off notice. Check both your contract and the applicable collective agreement before calculating your final employment date. During the notice period, clarify duties, salary, holiday accrual and the date on which unemployment begins.

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How unemployment benefits work during a lay-off

Register first, then apply

Benefit entitlement is tied to registration as an unemployed jobseeker. Registering in advance is allowed, but registration does not submit a claim. After registration, apply to one payer:

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  • Unemployment fund: Apply for earnings-related unemployment allowance if you are a member and satisfy the fund’s work requirement and other conditions.
  • Kela: Apply for the general social security benefit (yleistuki) if you are not entitled to the fund allowance and meet Kela’s eligibility rules.

Kela states that the general social security benefit has a seven-working-day waiting period. Use Kela’s current application instructions for the timing and documents required; work history, fund membership, income and official employment-service statements affect the decision.

Partial lay-off, part-time work and wages

Do not assume that receiving some wages eliminates your benefit or leaves it unchanged. For a partial lay-off or work during a lay-off, report actual workdays and hours. Kela’s guidance says the general social security benefit may be adjusted based on wages and that gross wages and work patterns matter. A full-time lay-off, reduced hours, reduced workdays and mixed arrangements are assessed differently.

Keep a day-by-day record of hours worked, gross pay, employer and payment date. Report changes to both the employment services and Kela or your fund. Incorrectly reporting a full lay-off when you worked, or omitting a wage payment, can lead to an incorrect decision and later recovery.

Your duties while registered as a jobseeker

Employment plan and deadlines

After registration, employment services assess your situation and work with you on an employment plan. Follow every instruction and deadline in that plan. Notify the service promptly about work, studies, illness, changes in the lay-off, a new job or any other circumstance that affects availability for work.

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When the job-search obligation begins for a laid-off employee

Job Market Finland states that, for a laid-off employee, the job-search obligation begins after a job-search discussion has been arranged and the lay-off has lasted three months. The obligation is not a reason to wait three months to register: registration is still due by the first lay-off day, and your individual plan may contain earlier tasks or appointments.

OmaKela status reports

If you receive the general social security benefit, Kela requires unemployment status reports in OmaKela. Its guidance says reports continue regularly every four weeks after the initial reporting period. Report the days and hours you worked, income and any change in your employment or lay-off status. Follow the reporting interval and questions shown in your own OmaKela instructions.

Transition security for people aged 55 or over

Extended transition security may be available after a qualifying dismissal, but it is not a general lay-off payment. The City of Helsinki service page describes these conditions for a person who, on the dismissal date:

  • is at least 55 years old;
  • has an employment contract that ended for production or financial reasons on or after 1 January 2023;
  • worked for the same employer for at least five years, with interruptions of no more than 30 days; and
  • registered as an unemployed jobseeker within 60 days of dismissal.

The described package includes a transition-security allowance, transition-security training and extended employment leave. The 60-day registration deadline is especially important: register immediately even if you are disputing the dismissal or still working through the notice period. Confirm current application steps, deadlines and the relevant benefit payer with your regional employment authority, because the authority must assess your facts.

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A practical record-keeping checklist

  • Employer’s lay-off or dismissal notice, delivery date and stated reason.
  • Employment contract and the collective agreement or sector rule that applies.
  • Start and end dates, whether the lay-off is full or partial, and any schedule of reduced hours.
  • Pay slips, holiday compensation details and a log of every day and hour worked.
  • Job Market Finland registration confirmation and every employment-plan instruction.
  • Unemployment-fund membership and application correspondence, or Kela applications and OmaKela reports.
  • Dismissal hearing invitation, your response and any evidence concerning alternative work or retraining.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Waiting until the employer’s end date

Waiting to register until a lay-off or notice period ends can create days for which unemployment benefit cannot be paid. Register no later than the first day you are unemployed or laid off; advance registration is permitted.

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Applying to both Kela and a fund

Choose the route that fits your entitlement and keep the payer informed. Kela and an unemployment fund do not pay unemployment benefit simultaneously for the same period.

Using the dismissal notice rule for a lay-off

The seven-day default lay-off notice and the 14-day-to-six-month dismissal notice scale serve different purposes. Check the collective agreement and contract before challenging a date.

Failing to report partial work

Record and report every workday, hour and wage payment. Partial employment can change the benefit calculation even when the lay-off remains in force.

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Missing the 55-plus deadline

If you may qualify for extended transition security, registration within 60 days of dismissal is one of the stated conditions. Do not wait for an employer certificate or a benefit decision before registering.

Decision path

  1. Was work and pay suspended temporarily? Treat it as a lay-off and check the seven-day default notice, sector exception and whether hours are reduced.
  2. Did the employer end the contract for permanent economic or production reasons? Check the hearing, alternative-work process and dismissal notice period.
  3. Are you a fund member who meets its conditions? Apply to the fund; otherwise check Kela’s general social security benefit.
  4. Are you working some hours? Submit exact hours and gross wages for an adjusted assessment.
  5. Were you at least 55 on the dismissal date? Check the five-year service, qualifying reason, 1 January 2023 start-date and 60-day registration conditions for transition security.

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