Pay-subsidised work aims to promote the employment of unemployed jobseekers in the open labour market by improving their professional skills. Pay-subsidised work also promotes the chances of finding employment and participating in the labour market for those with diminished work ability and the long-term unemployed over the age of 60.
Pay subsidy may be granted for improving professional competence when the unemployed jobseeker hired for the task meets at least one of the following requirements:
- aged 15-24
- over the age of 50
- has not completed the matriculation examination, an upper secondary vocational qualification or a comparable foreign upper secondary qualification
- is entitled to an integration plan
- has not been employed during the previous six months.
Pay subsidies can also be granted for hiring a long-term unemployed person over the age of 60 with diminished work ability or for apprenticeship training for the duration of the training.
Contact Helsinki Employment Services
You can contact Helsinki Employment Services through e-services, by phone and by email.
Use the online service
Sign in and visit Job Market Finland's E-services
Send us an email
Send an email
Helsinki Employment Services' email address.
Call us
Call Helsinki Employment Services
Fill in a form
Helsinki Employment Services' forms
Online information
Helsinki Employment Services for personal customers
Send us mail
Contact us by post
How can I make use of the pay subsidy?
Please note that you can only start at a pay-subsidised job once we have granted the subsidy to your employer.
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Meet with an Employment Services specialist
Bring up pay subsidy with our expert if at least one of the following conditions is met:
- You are under 25.
- You are over 50.
- You do not have an upper secondary degree.
- You are entitled to the integration plan.
- You have not worked as an employee or entrepreneur in the past six months.
Pay subsidy can also be applied for:
- apprenticeship training or
- if your work ability is compromised (you have a diagnosis of an injury or a disease of a permanent nature).
Before your job interview, find out from the Helsinki Employment Services if the pay subsidy can be applied to your situation. Submit a contact request in the Job Market Finland E-services(Link leads to external service).
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Apply for jobs
Apply for jobs that interest you and contact employers. Inform the employer about the opportunity to receive a pay subsidy if they hire you. If necessary, you will receive a pay subsidy card to support your job seeking, which you can show to the employer.
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Ask the employer to apply for pay subsidy
After finding a suitable job, ask the employer to submit an application for pay subsidy to the Helsinki Employment Services well in advance of starting the employment relationship. The employer can apply for support in Job Market Finland E-services(Link leads to external service).
Frequently asked questions about the pay subsidy
- The pay subsidy usually covers 50 or 70% of your pay. The maximum amount of aid per month varies between 1,260 and 2,020 euros.
- The pay subsidy is paid for the duration of the employment relationship, with a maximum duration of 10 months, as a rule.
- The pay subsidy may be granted for the entire duration of an apprenticeship training.
- The subsidised employment may last longer if you have a disability or illness that makes it difficult to work, or if you are over 60 years of age.
The pay subsidy is paid directly to your employer. The employer can be a company, a community, a municipality or a joint municipal authority.
The pay subsidy is contingent on the employer paying you at least a salary that is in accordance with a collective agreement. If a collective agreement is not applied to the job in question, the salary must be normal and reasonable in relation to the work.
The pay subsidy is always paid to the employer, who then pays you a normal salary.
People over 60 years of age can receive pay subsidies for longer than others, and the subsidies can also be permanent.
People over 55 years of age may be eligible for an employment subsidy. The subsidy is intended for hiring a person over 55 years of age if they have been unemployed for at least two years. The amount of the subsidy is 70% of the salary, up to a maximum of €1,770 per month, and the maximum duration is 10 months.
Contact our specialist at the Helsinki Employment Services. You can submit a contact request in the Job Market Finland E-services(Link leads to external service).