Suspension period (Karenssi)
Suspension period, or karenssi in Finnish, is a concept of everyday language that means periods determined in the Unemployment Security Act for which no allowance is paid.
Sometimes our customers also use it to talk about a personal liability period (waiting period, omavastuuaika in Finnish). However, the personal liability period (waiting period) is different from the suspension period for which no allowance is paid.
Period with no allowance
The purpose of unemployment security is to secure your financial opportunities to look for a job and improve your chances for entering and returning to the labour market. Job-seeking is one key requirement for an unemployment allowance.
If you do not look for work or do something else that stops you finding work, the TE Office may give you a suspension period, that is a period with no allowance. The duration of the suspension period varies between 30 to 45 days depending on the conditions.
When the TE office determines the length of your suspension period, the TE Office look at how you have not fulfilled your obligation as an unemployed job-seeker.