Our processing times have become somewhat longer during January and early February. This situation is mainly due to high unemployment and the high number of lay-offs. The weakened coronavirus situation will increase unemployment on top of seasonal unemployment typical at the beginning of the year. This is reflected in the increased number of applications.

The Government has proposed that the exceptional provisions concerning unemployment security valid until the end of March 2021 will be extended to the end of June 2021. Parliament has not yet decided on the extension. YTK is following up the situation.

Statistics on the number of applications, calls and messages >>

Thank you again to the thousands of respondents of the Member Pulse survey. This time there was clearly a hopeful feeling in the air! You told that after a difficult and uncertain year of coronavirus, optimism is emerging in many lines of business. There are also branches in which insecurity and worry about the future are still present. The members of YTK represent around every fourth employee in Finland, so our views matter a great deal from the point of view of Finland on the whole! Thank you, all respondents, of the Member Pulse survey.

Is your invoice for the membership fee hidden under a pile of advertisement leaflets in the corner of a shelf? Don’t worry, take care of the membership fee now, and your earnings-related cover will stay with you in the turns of the working life.

There is still time to pay the membership fee. You should, however, act quickly to have it fixed. You will find the invoice details in OmaYTK. You can use the same details to make an e-invoice authorisation in your own online bank. We recommend you to do that.

Things to remember about YTK’s membership fee

• Your membership will only remain valid if you pay the membership fee.
• You also need to pay the membership fee while unemployed, studying, on maternity leave, child-care leave or in military service. That way you will secure your right to receive earnings-related daily allowance and retain the membership and employment periods for possible later use.
• If your membership ends during the new membership fee period e.g. due to retirement on pension, you should nevertheless pay the membership fee in full. Once you have sent a notice of resignation to YTK, we will refund the excess amount of the membership fee. Sums of under 10 euros will not be refunded. No interest is paid on the membership fee to be refunded.
• If you receive daily allowance and have not paid the membership fee, we will charge the membership fee from the daily allowance after the due date.
• You should always use the reference number when making the payment to ensure that your membership fee is recorded correctly. It is particularly important if you pay the membership fee of e.g. a family member.
• The membership fee is tax-deductible in the year of payment. We will notify the paid membership fees directly to the Tax Administration.

If you fail to pay the membership fee, we will have to terminate your membership starting on the date from which on the membership fee is unpaid.

When the coronavirus epidemic broke out, Sonja Joensuu, who has lived in five countries and studied in three universities in six different languages, awoke to realise how many people got in trouble due to dismissals and lay-offs. The will to help other people made the health sciences professional switch from a customer service and research job to work at YTK.

“In my job I also awoke to realise how complicated a phenomenon unemployment is and how many different things are linked to earnings-related security. The word unemployed still carries a very negative label, although anybody can become unemployed due to reasons independent of themselves. Removing the stigma is socially important.”

The members of the YTK Association can participate free of charge in individual and extensive online training for job-seeking provided by Cimson Koulutuspalvelut. As part of the training it is possible to get personal coaching in which you will receive feedback for the job application text you have drafted and for a voluntary video introduction. Concrete outcome includes e.g. a job-seeking plan and mapping of the results. You can study in your own pace irrespective of time and place.

As a member of the YTK Association you will also get dozens of other benefits at the annual fee of just 18 euros!