Unemployment

Are you at risk of becoming unemployed?

Wage-earner members of the Finnish Association of Academic Agronomists under the age of 68 are primarily covered by an unemployment insurance policy at the Unemployment Fund for Higher Educated Employees Erko. The unemployment fund’s membership fee is included in and collected with the Association’s membership fee. In case of unemployment or lay-off, the unemployment fund pays its members an earnings-linked allowance according to the Act on Unemployment Security, as well as other benefits.

If you become unemployed or laid off, proceed as follows:

  • Register with a TE office (Public employment and business services) no later than on the first day of unemployment or lay-off.
  • Please note that you must always notify the TE office of any entrepreneurial activity (including so-called shell companies, forestry and agricultural activities), as well as an active student’s status in a university or other such institute. Read more on TYJ website.
  • Send the allowance application with the required appendices to the Erko Unemployment Fund once the unemployment/lay-off has lasted at least two weeks. Application forms are available at www.erko.fi/forms/.
  • Erko will inform you by letter once the Fund has received your first application. Allowance applications are processed in their order of arrival. Once the application is processed, the decision will be sent to you by mail and the payment notifications will be sent in electronic format or by mail. The handler will contact you if any supplementary information or material is required. Please note that there is a waiting period before the start of earnings-related unemployment allowance payments. Earnings-related unemployment allowance payments can begin when you have been an unemployed job-seeker for a period of five full working days.
  • Prepare a job-finding plan and survey feasible options.
  • Read the Guide to Unemployment Fund Benefits.

Relevant information about unemployment security and application processing times is available from the Erko unemployment fund.

In addition, a lot of useful information can be found on the websites of the Federation of Unemployment Funds in Finland (TYJ), the Social Insurance Institution Kela, and the Finnish Centre for Pensions. Further details of unemployment insurance for self-employed members is available from the Yrittäjäkassa unemployment fund.

Additional information

Federation of Unemployment Funds in Finland www.tyj.fi

Social Insurance Institution www.kela.fi

Finnish Centre for Pensions www.etk.fi