New unemployment law to be assessed in spring

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Kai Mykkänen on Thursday said the new unemployment law is part of employment package and cannot be discarded without finding other solutions, reported the local media.

The “active model” adopted by the new law requires that an unemployed person must show that he/she has worked 18 hours, earned 240 euros as an entrepreneur, or participated in five days of activities arranged by the public employment service offices during a three-month period, otherwise, the person will face an under-five-per cent reduction in the benefits for 65 days.

Mykkänen said the effects of the new legislation will be monitored for approximately the first three months in spring and afterwards the matter will be revisited.

Suomen Keskusta (Centre Party of Finland) Parliamentary Group Chair Antti Kaikkonen on Tuesday said the new unemployment law’s “active model” provision should be monitored closely, since it may prove problematic in those areas where getting employment is difficult, reported the national broadcaster Yle.