Unemployment benefits of 240K shifted to social security benefits

More than 240,000 unemployed persons on labour market subsidy or basic unemployment allowance have been transferred under the general social security benefit as the new Act on General Social Security Benefit entered into force on May 1, said the Social Insurance Institution-Kela in a press release on Monday.

Following the change, the general social security benefit (yleistuki) became a new form of financial assistance that has been introduced to the Finnish social security system.

The system is intended for unemployed persons who do not qualify for earnings-related unemployment allowance or who have been paid earnings-related unemployment allowance for the maximum period.

Kela paid labour market subsidy or basic unemployment allowance to the unemployed until 30 April 2026 and started paying general social security benefit as of 1 May 2026.

Because Kela pays unemployment benefits to clients retroactively for periods of four weeks, Kela will pay clients a combination of the new general social security benefit and labour market subsidy or basic unemployment allowance for payment periods in May.

“Kela will apply the change automatically, so you do not have to contact Kela. Stay registered as an active jobseeker with the employment services and continue to regularly file unemployment status reports in the OmaKela e-service every four weeks,” said Sarita Alarotu, Head of Kela’s Centre for Unemployment Benefits in the press release.

The first payments of general social security benefit will be made into clients’ bank accounts on Wednesday, 6 May.

The amount of the general social security benefit is EUR 37.21 per day. This is the same amount Kela used to pay in labour market subsidy and basic unemployment allowance.

During the transition period, the unemployment benefits will be paid in two instalments. Clients will get labour market subsidy or basic unemployment allowance in one instalment and general social security benefit in another.

Both instalments will be paid to the recipients on the same day.

The total amount of unemployment benefits for the four-week payment period will remain same as before.

The Parliament approved the government proposal on the general social security benefit(yleistuki), and the new social security in December 2025.