• From 1 January 2026 onwards, part-time workers will be required to apply for four jobs per month, unless they are prevented from taking on additional work due to other work or their work ability.
• For example, if you are unable to take on additional work due to your state of health, you will not be required to seek employment.

Furthermore, the provisions concerning the obligation to seek employment will be clarified. In the future, the law will specify the following matters in greater detail:

• When the obligation to seek employment is imposed.
• When an exception can be made to its commencement.
• When the amount of the obligation can be reduced.
• When no obligation is imposed at all.

Some of the current exemptions will be removed. For example, in a situation where employment is already certain, a separate exemption is no longer used. Instead, this is taken into account by reducing the amount of the job search obligation.

Make sure that your contact details are up to date in Job Market Finland’s e-services. If your details are correct, you will receive an automatic text message reminder one day before each deadline. Read more from Jobmarket (tyomarkkinatori.fi).

If you fall ill or are unable to attend your appointment, notify Employment Services and reschedule your appointment in good time.

The mandatory waiting period is a period during which no unemployment benefits are paid.

From 1 March 2026 onwards:

• Your first failure to attend an appointment or fulfil your obligations will result in a mandatory waiting period of seven calendar days.
• The written reminder procedure will be discontinued.

You may be subject to a mandatory waiting period in cases such as failing to attend an appointment, not applying for a job indicated for you or not implementing your employment plan.

The system of sanctions will be simplified into two tiers:

• First failure: seven-day mandatory waiting period.
• Your job search will end upon your first failure to fulfil your obligations
• Repeated failures within a 12-month period: six-week duty to work.

You can fulfil your duty to work by working for six weeks or by participating in services approved by Employment Services.

The duty to work is imposed if you repeatedly fail to fulfil your obligations over a period of 12 months.

Once the duty to work has been imposed:

• You must either work or participate in an approved service for six weeks in order to receive benefits.
• It can also be fulfilled through services indicated by Employment Services.

During the mandatory waiting period, you are not eligible for unemployment benefits. If your income is not sufficient to cover your essential expenses, you can:

• Apply for social assistance from Kela.
• Discuss with the employment services about your situation.

A job applicant profile is a brief presentation of your skills on the Job Market Finland platform. When you publish your profile, employers will be able to contact you when they are looking for employees. This way, you can also receive job offers for positions that are not openly advertised.

Your job applicant profile describes:

• Your skills and education.
• Your work experience.
• What kind of a job you are looking for.

According to the law:

• You must create and publish your profile within 15 business days of starting your job search.
• Publishing a profile will be mandatory from 1 September 2026 onwards.
• Your profile must remain public throughout your entire job search.
• The profile is public but anonymous, and it will be valid for a maximum of six months at a time.

The creation or publication of a profile may be waived in cases such as the following:

• You are unable to use Job Market Finland.
• Publishing a profile would be clearly unjustified in your situation.
• You are in full-time employment or are a full-time entrepreneur or student.

If you do not create or publish a profile yourself, the authority will create one based on an AI-generated suggestion from Job Market Finland.