Work & Study

EDUCATION

Kela sends surcharge reminder to students who didn't pay health fee

Foreigner.fi 2/24/21

About 212,000 students paid the healthcare fee by the due date, while about 43,000 have yet to pay it.

WORK MARKET

Number of open job vacancies in Finland decreases

Foreigner.fi 2/17/21

Compared with the corresponding period of the previous year, the number of open job vacancies decreased most in the major region of Helsinki-Uusimaa.

FROM NEXT SPRING

Finland to allow criminal record checks on all employees working with minors

Foreigner.fi 2/4/21

After the legislative amendments, employers would have the right to request that an employee provide an extract from the criminal record even for positions lasting no more than three months

CORONAVIRUS

THL advises to suspend short-term international student exchanges

Foreigner.fi 2/4/21

The health agency says thinks that international student gatherings can pose a risk for the epidemic to escalate.

HANDOUT - 31 January 2021, Belgium, Brussels: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen takes part in a video conference with seven chief executives from pharmaceutical firms with EU Covid-19 vaccine supply contracts. Photo: Etienne Ansotte/European Commission/dpa - ATTENTION: editorial use only and only if the credit mentioned above is referenced in full

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

Almost 2 million more unemployed in EU in December compared to 2019

Foreigner.fi/dpa 2/1/21

13.7 million people are out of work in the eurozone.

Minister-of-Employment-Tuula-Haatainen-by-Lauri-Heikkinen-Vnk

LABOUR MARKET

357,400 unemployed jobseekers

Foreigner.fi 1/31/21

This is 99,700 more than a year earlier.

EDUCATION

Finland to implement a new action plan to prevent bullying

Foreigner.fi 1/28/21

It is proposed that action to combat bullying begins already in early childhood education and care.

Minister of Employment Tuula Haatainen. Photo: Laura Kotila/Vnk.

LABOUR FORCE SURVEY

Employment clearly worsened in Finland at the end of the year

Foreigner.fi 1/28/21

In December, the number of employed people was 74,000 lower than one year before. The unemployment rate was 7.8%, having been 6% twelve months earlier.

FIRST JOINT APPLICATION

14,500 foreign students applied for higher education in Finland

Foreigner.fi 1/26/21

The most popular fields were business, administration and law, information and communication technologies.

FOR 20,000 FAMILIES

Finland to reduce fees for early childhood education and care

Foreigner.fi 1/20/21

The Ministry of Education and Culture estimates that, as a result of the legislative amendments, approximately 20,000 families will be entitled to free early childhood education and care.

Think corner University of Helsinki. Photo: © Foreigner.fi.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Kela warns of surcharges to 164,000 students who didn't pay health care fee

Foreigner.fi 1/15/21

Students registered as attending for the spring term must pay the fee by 31 January 2021, the Social Security agency says.

STUDY IN FINLAND

Finland offers 5,500 places for English higher education programmes

Foreigner.fi 1/5/21

The first joint application of the spring 2021 to Finnish universities and universities of applied sciences begins on Thursday 7 January.

Social Security (Kela) office in the city of Espoo. Photo: © Foreigner.fi.

NEW YEAR CHANGES

Changes to Kela benefits in 2021

Foreigner.fi 1/2/21

The following is a summary of the key changes in 2021 that affect the social benefits that Kela provides to workers, the unemployed, pensioners, families, students and people with disabilities.

EPIDEMIC

Government extends recommendation to work from home to 2021

Foreigner.fi 12/23/20

According to the government, "there are still strong grounds for keeping the national remote work recommendation in place in its current form."

WORK MARKET

314,500 unemployed jobseekers

Foreigner.fi 12/22/20

This was 86,000 more than a year earlier.

Prime Minister Sanna Marin. Photo: Jussi Toivanen/Vnk/File photo.

LABOR FORCE SURVEY

Finland has 27,000 more unemployed than a year ago

Foreigner.fi 12/22/20

The employment rate is now further away than a year ago from the target set by Prime Minister Sanna Marin at the beginning of her mandate.

SOCIAL SECURITY

Temporary changes to unemployment benefit laws extended to March 2021

Foreigner.fi 12/21/20

Unemployed jobseekers must make an employment plan with TE Services. If no plan is made, you can lose your unemployment benefit.

ALIENS ACT REFORM

Government takes strong action against foreign labour exploitation

Foreigner.fi 12/18/20

The imminent amendments to the Aliens Act would provide government agencies with better opportunities to refuse workers’ residence permits . "I want to temporarily stop recruitment from abroad…

REFORM

Seasonal workers to be able to change employers while in Finland

Foreigner.fi 12/18/20

The proposal would amend the Seasonal Workers Act concerning seasonal work undertaken in an employment relationship in agriculture and tourism.

STUDY IN FINLAND

Kela suspends financial aid to 2,500 higher education students

Foreigner.fi 12/16/20

This autumn, the requirement regarding the minimum number of credits earned in connection with the monitoring of academic progress was more lenient due to the coronavirus epidemic.