Unemployment funds 2025: Earnings-related daily allowance expenditure decreased in 2025
In 2025, unemployment funds’ total earnings-related daily allowance expenditure decreased by 10% from the previous year to EUR 1.8 billion. Earnings-related daily allowance expenditure decreased in eight funds and increased in five funds. The largest increase was 19% and the largest decrease was 16%.
The total number of allowance days paid decreased by 7%. The number of allowance days decreased by up to 12% in seven funds, increased by up to 19% in four funds, and remained unchanged in two funds. The number of beneficiaries of earnings-related daily allowance decreased in nine funds, increased in three funds, and remained unchanged in one fund. The largest decrease in the number of beneficiaries in a single fund was 13%, while the largest increase was 16%. Entrepreneurs’ earnings-related daily allowance expenditure decreased by 7%, the number of allowance days paid decreased by 1% and the number of beneficiaries increased by 1%.
Changes to unemployment security system behind decline
The decrease in expenditure, allowance days and the number of beneficiaries is due to changes made to the unemployment security system in recent years, such as extending the work requirement, the staggering model, periodisation of holiday compensation, abolishing the protected part of the adjusted earnings-related daily allowance and extending the waiting period.
The staggering model, which came into effect on 2 September 2024, began to affect the payment of earnings-related daily allowance significantly in 2025. A total of 12% of earnings-related daily allowance has been paid at a reduced rate in 2025: at a reduced 80% level to almost 50,000 people and at a 75% level to 7,500 people.
In 2025, unemployment funds paid commuting and relocation allowances totalling EUR 2.6 million – around 7% less than in 2024.
Since the beginning of 2023, people who have reached the age of 55 have been entitled to transition security allowance, if they meet the conditions. In 2025, transition security allowance amounting to just over EUR 13 million was paid out to a total of 3,500 people. The increase compared to the previous year was 9%. After a transitional period, the transition security allowance will fully replace allowances paid for additional days.
Number of fund members also decreased
In 2025, the processing times of applications for earnings-related daily allowance were relatively stable. The processing times of approved applications for full earnings-related daily allowance peaked in the first quarter at 9 days on average. The average processing time across all funds in 2025 was 7 days.
The number of members in unemployment funds decreased by 20,000 beneficiaries from the previous year. The largest increase in the number of members of a single fund was 2% and the largest decrease was 9%. The number of members in the Entrepreneur Fund fell by around 200 members.
The data presented are based on the Financial Supervisory Authority’s Finnish-language online publication on unemployment funds – Työttömyyskassat 2025.
For further information, please contact:
Dima Matjushin, Information Specialist, tel. +358 9 183 5588 or dima.matjushin(at)fiva.fi
Appendix
Unemployment funds 2025 (link, in Finnish, pdf and Excel tables)