TE services will transfer to municipalities in 2025

Employment and Economic Development Offices (TE Offices) will be discontinued at the beginning of 2025. In the future, services for the unemployed and job seekers will be provided by their own municipality or by an employment region formed by multiple municipalities.

When becoming unemployed, receiving unemployment benefits will require registration as a job seeker with the employment authority. Going forward, this employment authority will be one’s own municipality or employment region. However, registration can still be done through the online service Työmarkkinatori.

The municipality or employment region will also be responsible for supporting job search efforts and monitoring the obligations related to unemployment benefit payments. Therefore, it is advisable to contact the municipality or employment region in situations such as:

  • when you need help or tips for job searching
  • if you are considering training or a course that could improve your employment prospects
  • if you are considering starting a business
  • if you need broader support for employment (e.g., wage subsidies)
  • if you want more information about the obligations associated with unemployment benefits
  • if you want more information about the labor market policy statement, which serves as a basis for paying unemployment benefits.

Many municipalities have already been responsible for providing employment services before the legislative change as part of a municipal pilot. However, the municipal pilot did not cover a large portion of recipients of earnings-related unemployment benefits. For this reason, the transfer of services to municipalities will only take effect for the majority of earnings-related benefit recipients at the turn of the year.

This change does not affect the processing of unemployment benefit matters in the unemployment fund. The fund’s responsibilities remain the same, and unemployment benefits will continue to be paid based on the statement issued by the employment authority.

What actions does the change require?

If you are already unemployed or laid off, the change does not require any new actions from you. You can continue following your job search plan as before.

If you become unemployed after the reform, you can register as an unemployed job seeker through the Työmarkkinatori online service as before. After this, the municipality or employment area will guide you on the next steps.

Communication

Työmarkkinatori will remain the primary communication channel for job seekers to contact employment authorities. You can send messages to your municipality or employment area through the service.

Phone numbers and addresses for municipalities and employment areas can be found on the regional pages of Työmarkkinatori.