News release 1 September 2016 – 9/2016

Unemployment funds 2015: Funds for the self-employed saw a decrease in membership growth

​In 2015, unemployment funds' expenditures for earnings-related daily allowances increased by 6% on the previous year. A total of EUR 2.8 billion was paid out in earnings-related daily allowances.

Both the increase in expenditures for earnings-related daily allowances and growth in the number of beneficiaries of daily allowances were considerably stronger for funds for the self-employed than for employee funds. In 2015, membership increased in employee funds but decreased in funds for the self-employed for the first time since their establishment in 1995. Funds for the self-employed saw their expenditures for earnings-related daily allowances increasing by well over one fifth on the previous year. 

There were, all in all, 29 unemployment funds. There were major differences between them in respect of the development of expenditures, the number of beneficiaries of daily allowances and the number of days for payment of allowances. The average processing time for applications for daily allowance remained at the same level as in the two previous years and was 10 days for favourable decisions on full earnings-related daily allowance.

The data presented above are based on the FIN-FSA's Finnish-language annual online release on unemployment funds – Työttömyyskassat 2015. In addition, the FIN-FSA publishes unemployment funds' membership fee criteria annually as well as data on the number of applications, benefits paid and processing times on a quarterly basis via its online services.

For further information, please contact

  • Marko Aarnio, Head of Division, tel. +358 10 831 5562

Appendix