Legislation changes at the turn of the year

As the year changes, numerous legislation changes occur.

Possibly the most prominent ones have been shortening the maximum payment period from 500 days to 400 days and increasing the waiting period back to 7 days. Cuts are also made to the increased earnings-related portion based on a long working career, which is no longer granted and payments end at latest on 30.6.2017. Expense compensation is no longer paid for voluntary studies.

As a new form of benefits, unemployment funds start offering mobility allowance. In the future unemployment benefits can be granted as a mobility allowance to a person who is entitled to unemployment benefits and who accepts full-time employment that lasts for at least two months. Mobility allowance must be applied for before the beginning of the employment. Mobility allowance is paid in the amount of basic daily allowance without the increased portion. The period of mobility allowance has been scaled according to the duration of the employment and it can be 30, 45 or 60 days. The allowance is paid for a maximum of five days in a calendar week.

There are a lot of changes in the employment services as well. In the future earnings-related daily allowance could be paid for example to an entrepreneur, who is employed in entrepreneurial activities for a maximum of two weeks. The employment offices no longer monitors short entrepreneurial periods and the full-time employment in these situations would not hinder receiving unemployment benefits.

Temporary recruitment trial comes into use. During the recruitment trial, the unemployment benefit the person would receive while unemployed would be paid on the basis of unemployment.