Unemployment funds 2017: Earnings-related daily allowance expenditure and numbers of daily allowance beneficiaries and allowance days paid declined

In 2017, unemployment funds’ earnings-related daily allowance expenditure declined by 14% compared with the previous year. A total of EUR 2.3 billion in earnings-related daily allowances was paid.

The number of earnings-related daily allowance beneficiaries fell by 11% and the number of allowance days paid fell by 12%. There were major differences between unemployment funds in respect of the development of expenditure, the number of daily allowance beneficiaries and the number of allowance days paid. Job alternation compensation expenditure and the number of people receiving job alternation compensation also declined significantly.

In 2017, unemployment funds began to grant the commuting and relocation allowance, of which just over EUR 2 million was paid. The objective of the commuting and relocation allowance is to incentivise unemployed job seekers to accept a job or job-related training also outside their commuting area.

The processing times for earnings-related daily allowance applications remained largely unchanged. The average processing time for all funds in favourable decisions on full earnings-related daily allowance was nine days, i.e. at the same level as in the three previous years.

The data are based on the FIN-FSA's Finnish-language online publication on unemployment funds – Työttömyyskassat 2017. In addition, the FIN-FSA publishes annually criteria for setting the level of unemployment funds’ membership fees as well as data on application volumes, benefit expenditure and processing times on a quarterly basis via its online services.

For further information, please contact

• Dima Matjushin, Information Specialist, tel. +358 9 183 5588.

Appendix

• Työttömyyskassat 2017 (in Finnish, pdf)