Employment services moved to municipalities: how job seeking works in 2026

Who is responsible for the services now

Responsibility for organising public employment services transferred from the state to municipalities on 1 January 2025. The services are provided by 45 employment areas, which are individual municipalities or municipal cooperation areas. About 4,400 experts transferred to the municipalities. Anyone who becomes unemployed should therefore contact the employment area of their own home municipality.

Electronic services remained nationwide. Työmarkkinatori (the Job Market Finland service) is the shared online service for jobseekers and employers, maintained by the KEHA Centre. There you register as a jobseeker, maintain your job-seeker profile and apply for, for example, the start-up grant.

Register immediately and prepare for the initial interview

Registering as a jobseeker at Työmarkkinatori is a prerequisite for unemployment benefit, so do it as soon as your work ends. From the start of 2026, the initial interview must be held within ten working days of the start of the job search.

The standardised service process was abandoned, but job-search interviews are still held every three months. In addition, supplementary job-search interviews are arranged according to the need for services. The employment plan is drawn up together with an expert, and it records the job-search obligation and the agreed services.

Job-search obligation: four jobs a month

An unemployed jobseeker must as a rule apply for four job opportunities per month, unless the obligation has been reduced or they have been exempted from it. From 2026, the same obligation also applies to those working part-time. The obligation can be reduced in steps only if the full number is genuinely impossible.

Publishing a job-seeker profile or applying for jobs referred by the authority no longer counts towards the four applications. Jobs referred by the employment authority must be applied for from the very start of unemployment. From 1.9.2026, publishing and maintaining a job-seeker profile on Job Market Finland is mandatory.

Sanctions tightened in March 2026

From 1.3.2026, deadlines are monitored more strictly and the written reminder procedure no longer exists. The first missed appointment or task causes a seven-day unpaid period, and the job search ends. A second failure within a year leads to a six-week work obligation.

A text message reminder about deadlines is sent the previous day, but the responsibility for meeting them lies with the jobseeker.

Mark meetings and deadlines in the calendar
Record your job applications in Työmarkkinatori on time
Keep your job-seeker profile published and up to date
Report changes, such as starting work or studies, immediately

General support replaced basic daily allowance and labour market subsidy

Since 1.5.2026, Kela has paid unemployed people a general support, which replaced the basic unemployment allowance and labour market subsidy. It is paid to a jobseeker who is not entitled to earnings-related unemployment allowance or whose earnings-related allowance period has ended. The general support is 37,21 € a day and is means-tested, so other income and assets may reduce it. A spouse's income has no effect. There is a seven-day waiting period before payment begins.

Recipients of earlier benefits moved to the general support automatically, but the benefit requires an active job search. From February 2026, applicants for social assistance have also had to register as unemployed jobseekers.

Services worth asking about

Employment areas offer jobseekers more than monitoring: career guidance and counselling, labour market training, work trials and help with entrepreneurship. An employer can receive a pay subsidy when hiring an unemployed jobseeker. The general pay subsidy is 50% of pay costs for 5 or 10 months, and up to 70% on the grounds of reduced working capacity. The subsidy must be applied for before the employment starts, so mention it to a potential employer already at the interview.

The situation for young people is currently difficult. At the end of August 2026 there were 40,700 unemployed jobseekers under 25, which is 3,900 more than a year earlier. Applying for education can also be recorded in a young person's employment plan, and the primary option is vocational education leading to a qualification.

Where to find jobs

In August 2026 there were 329 600 unemployed jobseekers and 53 900 open vacancies, of which 32 900 were new. Of the vacancies, 14 957 were not tied to a region, so remote work widens the search area significantly. Not all vacancies are on Työmarkkinatori, so use several channels and set up job alerts. You can find up-to-date employment figures by region in Jobs Radar. The next employment reviews will be published on 20.10., 24.11. and 22.12.2026.

Employers still find recruitment difficult: according to Statistics Finland's employer survey, there were about 29,600 vacancies in the second quarter of 2026, and 33% of them were hard to fill. The number of vacancies grew most in construction and in Helsinki-Uusimaa. Target your applications therefore at the sectors and regions where demand is growing.

Frequently asked questions

Where did the TE Office go?

The TE Offices were abolished on 1.1.2025, and services moved to 45 municipal employment areas. Deal with the employment area of your home municipality and with Työmarkkinatori.

How many jobs must an unemployed person apply for per month?

As a rule, four job opportunities per month, unless the obligation has been reduced. From 2026 the same also applies to people working part-time.

What happens if I forget an appointment?

From 1.3.2026, the first failure leads to a seven-day unpaid period and the end of the job search. A second failure within a year leads to a six-week work obligation.

How much is the general grant?

General support is €37.21 per day. It is means-tested, so your other income and assets may reduce it, but your spouse's income does not affect it.

Jobs Radar brings together the topic's figures, deadlines and services. Open Jobs Radar →

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Sources

The article is general information and does not replace the guidance of an authority, a lawyer or an adviser. Check up-to-date information from the sources.