Employment, entrepreneurship, and livelihood

Work adds meaning to life and provides an income. Through work, you can get to know people, adapt to a new home country and learn a language. This section also describes everyday finances in Finland. For example, it explains how to open a bank account, when you are eligible for financial support, what to do if you aren’t being paid, and where to get help with debt.

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Working in Finland

Working in Finland may be very different from your home country. This section provides information on working in Finland.

Work and pension: In Finland, work is an important part of life. People work until they reach the age of 65, after which they retire.

Education: In Finland, many professions require a specific education. In Finland, people choose the field and profession in which they want to work. Women and men can work in all professions.

Employment relation:

Work can be permanent (until further notice) or fixed-term (for a limited period).
The length of the workday varies, but a typical day is about 8 hours. Working hours are agreed upon in the employment contract.
Always make your employment contract in writing.

When Employment Ends: Ask your employer for a certificate of employment. Register as a job seeker with employment services as soon as possible.

Holidays: The main holiday season in Finland is summer. The number of holiday days depends on how long you have worked before the holiday.

Non-discrimination

In Finland, all employees must under the law be treated equally and equally. No one may be discriminated against in a job search or workplace.

Equality means that all people are equal regardless of

age
ethnic or national origin
citizenship
language
religion or faith
opinions
disability or state of health
gender
sexual orientation or
other personal reasons.
Read more about working in Finland on the InfoFinland.fi website, which is available in several languages.(external link, opens in a new window)

Jobseeker’s rights and obligations

When you are a customer of employment services, you are a jobseeker. Finnish law requires you to apply to four jobs per month in most cases. Your integration plan determines what you must do and when. The integration plan will specify how many jobs you must apply to.

Employment services are free of charge to you when you are a registered jobseeker. Participation in the services is often mandatory. While you integrate, you can participate in language or integration training and receive information about society so that you can find employment.

If you do not apply for a job or participate in the agreed service, you will receive a reminder and a request to explain why you have not complied with your plan. If you do not apply for a job, participate in the agreed service or respond to a request for clarification, your unemployment benefits may be terminated.

Employee’s rights and obligations

When working, it is important that you take care of your own rights and obligations as an employee. The occupational safety and health website includes information on pay, working hours and holidays in many languages.

Occasionally, it may be difficult to know whether you are an employee or an entrepreneur when you work. An employee has different rights than an entrepreneur.

In Finland, employees have a legal right to belong to a trade union. Trade unions promote workers' rights. Trade unions negotiate, for example, wages and other terms of employment on behalf of employees with employers’ unions. Trade union members can participate in various training programmes and receive free legal aid for difficult situations in working life. Most Finns belong to a trade union or unemployment fund.

In Finland, a collective agreement defines the minimum terms of employment. If an employer does not comply with these terms, it may constitute labor exploitation. For example:

The employer pays too little salary or none at all
Work is required beyond what the collective agreement allows

If you suspect labor exploitation, please contact:

-> National police telephone service: tel. +358 29 5419800

-> Regional State Administrative Agency’s telephone service: tel. +358 29 5016620

-> Victim Support Finland: help@riku.fi

When Could It Be Human Trafficking?

If you have been forbidden or prevented from seeking help, even though you have been paid too little or not at all, it may be a case of human trafficking.

Human trafficking is a serious crime and may involve:

Forced labor
Sexual exploitation
Being forced into criminal activity

Signs of human trafficking:

Your passport has been taken away
You are told you owe money, and therefore you are not paid
You are threatened with being reported to the authorities
You or your family are threatened
Your movement is restricted
You are forbidden from seeking help

If you answered “yes” to one or more of these, it could be human trafficking. In that case, please contact:

→ Assistance system for victims of human trafficking: Tel. +358 29 5463177

You can request an interpreter over the phone. You can contact anonymously.

Finding work

In Finland, working, looking for a job or starting a business may be very different from how things are done in your country of origin. This website contains basic information on employment in Finland. We also explain what kind of help and support you can receive for finding employment.

If you are looking for a job in Finland or need help in finding employment, register as a jobseeker as soon as possible. When you are a jobseeker, i.e. a customer of Espoo Employment Services, you can receive support for integration and employment.

Searching for a job in Finland is very independent. People search for work individually by responding to employers’ job advertisements or by contacting employers that interest them. You can find most job advertisements online, for example on the Job Market Finland site. You can also find out about vacancies from your acquaintances or network.

When you are looking for a job, you usually need to prepare an up-to-date resume and an application. The process usually includes a job interview. Be active!

Generally speaking, this is how job-seeking in Finland works:

Search for job advertisements in Job Market Finland or online, for example, with the search term "open jobs Espoo".
When you find an interesting job advertisement, familiarise yourself with the employer and the position.
Check the job advertisement to see how to apply for this particular job. An employer may want you to email them your application, or you may need to fill in the job application form on the company’s website. Sometimes you can also submit a video application for a job.
Read the job advertisement and carefully write your application and resume. In your job application, describe your suitability for this particular job.
Submit the application on time.
Typically, an employer will receive a large number of applications for one vacancy. The employer sends an interview invitation to those jobseekers who have sent a good application and resume and who have the best skills for the open position.
If you receive an invitation to an interview, prepare for it well. In the interview, the employer will test your suitability for the task and the work community.
The employer often interviews many jobseekers and selects the one that they find most suitable.
If the employer did not select you for the job, do not give up on your job search.

If you need help finding a job, register as an unemployed jobseeker with Espoo Employment Services.

Employment services provides information on Finnish society and allows you to participate in training, coaching and on-the-job training. An employee from employment services will help you find the options that are right for you.

You must have a valid residence permit or a right to work to register for employment services.

I have a Finnish personal identity code

If you have a Finnish personal identity code and online banking codes, you can begin your job search at

- > Job Market Finland’s e-services(external link, opens in a new window)

You can get help with the online service at the Employment Services’ information point.

I don´t have a Finnish personal identity code

If you do not have a Finnish personal identity code or you cannot use the online service, register as a jobseeker at the Employment Services office in Sello or Piispanportti.

-> Find Employment Services' contact information here

When you register as a jobseeker, your job search will have officially started.

After you have completed your registration, we will invite you for an appointment. At the appointment, you can explain education, work experience and language skills with your assigned worker. If you need one, you can ask for an interpreter to join the appointment. At the appointment, your worker will help you prepare a plan to support your integration and help you on the path to employment or studies. The plan may include language training or other services that suit your situation.

Good to know

As a customer of employment services, you must commit to job seeking and to accept full-time work or studies. You may be eligible for an unemployment benefit, i.e. financial support, if you are applying for a job or study place, or participate in the services that we offer. Some of these services may be mandatory.

Examples of services you can get when you are a customer of Employment Services:

Integration training
Information about Finnish society (social orientation)
Other language training, such as literacy training
Different coaching and trials (work try-out, job coaching)
Vocational education and training and partial qualifications
Competence centres for immigrants

Always discuss courses, coaching or training with your assigned Employment Services worker in advance. This ensures that the measures are suitable for you and that they do not affect, for example, the payment of your unemployment benefits.

Palvelumanuaali.fi: Employment services for Espoo residents(external link, opens in a new window)

Employment Services provides advice and guidance on job seeking, integration services, starting and running a business, and training, for example. You can come to our help desk at Iso Omena without an appointment. An interpreter can help you with these services.

Advice and guidance for jobseekers is also available as a walk-in service in the lobbies of Employment Services offices in Piispanportti and Sello. The service is available in Swedish, English, Ukrainian, Russian and Arabic.

-> Find Employment Services contact information here.

Read more about multilingual guidance for jobseekers.

Jobseekers under 30 years of age

Young jobseekers (under the age of 30) also have their own services. Ohjaamotalo’s Starttipiste service point helps young adults under 30 in Espoo and Kauniainen. You can come to Ohjaamotalo’s Starttipiste service point without an appointment.

At the Starttipiste service point, you can handle issues that you are currently facing. You can get help, for example, with applying for a job or study place, in financial matters and finding an apartment. At Starttipiste, you can meet professionals from different fields who can help you or book an appointment with a suitable expert. You will find Starttipiste in Leppävaara.

Read more about the Starttipiste service point and see its opening hours.

Support for job seeking from centres of expertise

The Espoo Competence Centre for Highly Educated Immigrants supports highly educated immigrants living in Espoo with finding a job and employment. You can notify your assigned worker at Employment Services if you are interested in participating in the service.

As a customer, you can:

get personal career counselling,
get help in finding a job,
opportunity to participate in workshops and
receive invitations to recruitment and networking events.

You can also be directed to a language course (Finnish or Swedish), a digital course, official recognition of competence and further education. The service is free of charge.

The Omnia Skills Centre is the right place if you are looking for a job and want to strengthen your career skills. The Skills Centre provides assistance in submitting a job application and finding a job. In addition, you can receive training and career guidance. You must have basic proficiency in Finnish. You must be ready for full-time studies or work.

Employment Services is who directs you to this service, you cannot apply for it on your own. The service is free of charge.

Espoo Talent Hub services for higher education graduates

The events and services of the Espoo Talent Hub help employers and highly educated professionals find each other, learn new skills and obtain information.

It organises the TalentMatch recruitment event several times a year, either online or as an in-person event. Participants can meet recruiting employers and hear more about business activities.

The Career Club is a two-month programme in English for highly educated people living in Espoo. It provides coaching on important career skills and network building.

It is easier to apply for a job if you know how a foreign degree corresponds to a Finnish degree. In some fields, you may need a recognition decision to work in Finland. Recognition of a degree is subject to a fee.

In some professions, you need an official permit to work in a sector in Finland. These are called regulated professions. Check the website of the Finnish National Agency for Education to see if your profession is regulated.

If your profession is not regulated, you do not need to apply for official recognition to work in the sector.

The most common regulated fields are education and social and health care.

For more information:

Working in Finland often requires you to know Finnish or Swedish. Sometimes, it is possible to find employment in English or with poor Finnish language skills. You will have better chances of finding work if you know Finnish or Swedish, know how to work in Finnish society and understand Finnish working life. You can learn these skills through the course on orientation to society and integration training.

Multilingual Orientation to Society is a course that provides information on the following:

integration and integration services
integration training
Finnish society: values and laws
other things that are necessary to know about daily life after you have lived in Finland for a while.

The course is in Albanian, Arabic, English, Farsi/Dari, Russian and Somali. Orientation takes 20 days. The service is also suitable for people who cannot read or write. Employment Services will direct you to a suitable course.

In integration training, you study Finnish and other necessary skills for society and work. This service is intended for unemployed jobseekers who are clients of Employment Services. The training is free of charge and you may be entitled to unemployment benefits while you attend it. Employment services will guide you to the course. First, you will first go through a language skill assessment, to find out your suitable training group. You may have to wait a while, possibly months, for a training place. The training may take place in Espoo, Helsinki or Vantaa.

When you are waiting for access to training, you can also study Finnish in other ways. You can also search for language courses on your own, for example on finnishcourses.fi. First, talk to your assigned employment services worker so that they can add the course to your integration plan. You may be eligible for unemployment benefits while studying.

Integration training will improve your chances of finding a job. Sometimes, after the integration training, you may need additional training before finding a job. You can discuss your options with your Employment Services worker. You can participate in activities such as the Espoo Skills Centre’s work try-outs, different trainings or coaching programmes.

Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is one way to earn a living. As an entrepreneur, you can utilise your own skills, competence and interests in working life. As an entrepreneur, you can create a workplace for yourself and, at the same time, introduce new ideas and services to the community

If you have a business idea want to start your own company, you can get information and advice on setting up a company in different languages from Business Espoo, among others.

Business Espoo offers free and personal advice for starting a business or drawing up a business plan. You can book an appointment for advisory services already when you have a preliminary business idea.

If you are an unemployed jobseeker and want to set up a company, always notify your employment services worker. Employment services can guide you to suitable training.

If you want to set up a business, you can apply for a start-up grant, i.e. financial support for setting up a business. Apply for a start-up grant before setting up a business. You can ask your assigned Employment Services expert about the start-up grant.

To set up a business:

Plan the establishment of the business carefully. Book an appointment for business advisory services at www.BusinessEspoo.com. Business advisory services cost you nothing.
Select the type of business that is most suitable for you, such as a sole proprietorship (i.e. a private entrepreneur) or a limited liability company.
Take care of your pension cover: get statutory pension insurance for self-employed persons (YEL). Read more at www.tyoelake.fi.(external link, opens in a new window)
File a start-up notification for your business and register in the Tax Administration’s registers at www.ytj.fi(external link, opens in a new window). You will receive a business ID as soon as you submit the start-up notification electronically.
When waiting for registration decisions, open a bank account for your company. You will usually receive a registration decision 3–4 weeks after submitting the start-up notification. The Tax Administration also recommends that you acquire an accountant. You can start billing your customers once you have received the registration decisions.

Everyday finances and financial trouble

In Finland, employment and entrepreneurship are how people earn money. Both men and women work outside the home to a roughly equal degree. Social security is meant to guarantee sufficient income if, for example, you become ill or have a child. Social services can support you in different life crises.

You need a bank account to manage your finances in Finland. When you open a bank account, you will also receive your online banking credentials. You will need online banking credentials to use official services in Finland.

Compare the services of different banks to find the option that suits you the best.

To open a bank account, you will need an official identity card such as a passport or a foreigner’s identity card. If you do not have one of these, please contact the bank to see which identity cards the bank will accept.

Learn more about opening a bank account on the InfoFinland.fi website in several languages.(external link, opens in a new window)

The employee and the employer agree on the amount of pay in the employment contract. Always conclude an employment contract in writing. The employer will pay the salary to your bank account. When you receive a salary, the employer must also give you a payslip. The payslip shows, for example, how much taxes you need to pay. Make sure from the payslip that the hours worked are correct.

If you have problems with salary payments, contact your employer. Always describe in writing (by email or in an SMS) the type of issue that you have discovered.

If the matter is not corrected, contact your trade union if you are a union member. Trade unions help employees who have problems with their employer. Some trade unions also offer free counselling to people who are not union members.

Otherwise, you can ask for advice, for example, from a legal aid office. Legal aid offices provide assistance in legal matters. The service is free for low-income earners, and the service is subject to a fee for others. The legal aid office serves by appointment.

If necessary, you can also ask for advice from the Hello Espoo Info.

In Finland, social security payments are usually made by Kela (The Social Insurance Institution of Finland).

You may be entitled to Kela subsidies if you work or live permanently in Finland. The purpose of social security is to guarantee sufficient income in different life situations. For example, if you get a child, become unemployed or fall ill. Social security is usually intended to be temporary.

If you need advice on benefits paid by Kela, contact Kela's customer service. You can book an interpreter for the appointment with Kela in advance.

If necessary, the Hello Espoo Info will also help you with Kela.

You do not need to deal with your financial concerns alone. There are many sources that can help you with financial issues. Check to see if you are entitled to one of Kela’s allowances.

You can contact the Financial Counselling Clinic of the Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County with concerns related to, for example, the payment of invoices or debts. Financial counselling experts will help you find solutions. The service is free of charge and confidential. If necessary, employees use interpretation services to assist in meetings and telephone calls.

If you do not know how to start working on your finances, you can also ask for advice from the Hello Espoo information event. They will help you find the right help.

Contact information for employment and business advisory services

You can find our contact information here. We are happy to help if you have any questions about these topics.

Employment Espoo Information Point

+358 9 81694000neuvontapalvelut@espoo.fiIso Omena Service Centre, Suomenlahdentie 1 (third floor), 02230 Espoo.

General advice on job search, career opportunities and education. Our services are open to everybody.

You will receive information and advice on, for example:
✔ job search
✔ learning opportunities
✔ labour availability and acquisition
✔ labour market
✔ entrepreneurship
✔ services related to change security

You cannot take care of official matters related to job-seeking at the office.

Visiting hours.

Espoo Employment Services, Piispanportti office

+358 9 81694000info.tyo@espoo.fiPiispanportti 10 A, 02200 Espoo.

Advice and guidance for jobseekers, walk-in service and client appointments.
Our services are open to residents of Espoo and Kauniainen.

You can contact us through Job Market Finland’s E-services(external link, opens in a new window).

Espoo Employment Services, office in Sello

+358 9 81694000info.tyo@espoo.fiLeppävaarankatu 3-9 (2. floor), 02600 Espoo.

Advice and guidance for jobseekers, walk-in service and client appointments.
Our services are open to residents of Espoo and Kauniainen.

You can contact us through Job Market Finland’s E-services(external link, opens in a new window).

Business advisory services

+358 9 81636363info@businessespoo.fi

You can call the appointment reservation number between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Mondays and between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. from Tuesday to Thursday.

✔ Help with developing a business idea and starting a business.

✔ Help in developing an active company and solving challenges.

You can also book an appointment for business advisory services online.

Employment, entrepreneurship, and livelihood

Working in Finland

What is it like to work in Finland?

What rights and obligations does a jobseeker have?

Recognise abuse at work

Finding work

How and where can I find work?

Registering as a jobseeker

Advice and guidance for job seeking

Recognition of degrees and qualifications

Language skills and employment

Entrepreneurship

How do I start a business?

Everyday finances and financial trouble

How do I open a bank account?

I have problems with my salary payment

What financial benefits could I be entitled to?

I am in debt or I do not have any money

Social services help with financial difficulties

You might be interested in

Contact information for employment and business advisory services

Employment Espoo Information Point

Espoo Employment Services, Piispanportti office

Espoo Employment Services, office in Sello

Business advisory services