Contact occupational health
If you are dismissed or laid off, Collective Agreement Specialist Mikko Kiiskinen from Pro recommends that you contact occupational health care as soon as possible.
Dismissal in particular, but also temporary lay-off , can be a difficult experience, and it's good to get help for it.
‒ In addition, if you have any doubts about the dismissal process, it's worth contacting your workplace representative or your own trade union.
Both the dismissed and the laid-off person are entitled to unemployment security. A shortened working week may have been agreed upon for the layoff.
‒ A shortened working week means that you have been laid off from full-time work for at least one full day during the calendar week of the layoff. In this situation, full earnings-related allowance is also paid for the layoff days. Working hours during these weeks may not exceed 80 percent of the maximum working hours in the sector, Kiiskinen specifies.
Register as an unemployed job seeker
Employment services have been transferred to the municipalities at the beginning of 2025 and the online services have been compiled on the Job Market Finland service portal. You must register as an unemployed job seeker and submit a temporary lay-off or dismissal notice no later than the first day of temporary lay-off or unemployment or earlier.
– This can be done electronically. This way, the job search is valid – it is mandatory in order to receive earnings-related or Kela daily allowance.
Employment services or the KEHA centre will send a labor policy statement to either the Pro fund or Kela, depending on whether the dismissed person receives earnings-related or basic daily allowance. Kiiskinen advises you to familiarize yourself with Pro's services during unemployment, such as a personal career coach, from whom you can receive concrete advice in confidence. It is good to be active in your job search right at the beginning of unemployment.
According to research, after three months, the chances of finding a job decrease, as people often lose interest in looking for work. There is also the possibility of finding work elsewhere during the notice period.
Apply for daily allowance from Pro Unemployment Fund
A member of the Pro Unemployment fund applies for earnings-related daily allowance electronically. The first application for daily allowance and attachments can be sent to the fund after two weeks of unemployment or layoff. Daily allowance must be applied for within three months. A follow-up application is made for a period of four calendar weeks or a full calendar month.
Earnings-related daily allowance is calculated based on salary information. The Pro Unemployment Fund receives it directly from the Incomes Register. According to Kiiskinen, there is a lot of information on the unemployment fund website, and you can also follow the current status of the application processing there.
If you have any questions, contact our experts.