Job hunting in Åland

You can search for employment in Åland in advance from abroad or after you have arrived in Åland. You can also come to Åland as an unemployed jobseeker and receive unemployment allowance, but this requires that you register as an unemployed jobseeker in your home country in good time before you move.

Job hunting in Åland

You register as a jobseeker with the Åland Labour Market and Student Service Authority (AMS). You should first familiarise yourself with their website. There you will find up-to-date information on job vacancies notified to AMS. They provide advice on employment, education and training as well as information on unemployment benefit and financial benefits while studying and on their services. You can also order the free Ålandliving newsletter which is sent out once a week by e-mail and contains current job vacancies in Åland.

Job hunting as a seafarer

Contact AMS if you are interested in searching for jobs in the Åland maritime industry. Also take a look at the website of the Åland maritime industry.

Nordjobb

Nordic citizens or citizens of EU countries who are resident in the Nordic countries and aged 18 – 30 can search for jobs in another Nordic country through Nordjobb. Nordjobb arranges summer jobs, accommodation and leisure programmes. You can find information and how to apply on the Nordjobb website.

Foreigners working in Finland

You can find more information on the webpage of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment Tips for finding a job and on the AMS Åland website Tips for jobseekers.

Job hunting from abroad

EURES (European Employment Services) is the job mobility portal of the European Commission, which covers the EU countries and also Norway and Iceland. On the webpage of the EURES network you can find vacancy announcements posted by the labour market networks that are part of the system. You can also find contact details for EURES advisors in various countries on the website. Your local EURES advisor at AMS Åland can give you information on questions related to employment in Åland.

Another alternative is private labour agencies. It is easy to do job searches through them, even if you are not in the country. However, you often need to be able to speak Finnish to use the online services. Some Finnish employers also post vacancies in Swedish and English on their own websites. You can also search for job vacancies on the website of Finland’s Employment and Economic Development Offices. Companies post vacancies in Swedish and English if these languages are needed in the job.

Unemployed jobseeker on your way to Åland?

As an unemployed jobseeker you can under certain conditions get unemployment allowance from Finland when searching for employment in EU or EEA countries (except Greenland). Under the agreement, as an unemployed jobseeker you retain your right to unemployment allowance for three months when searching for employment in an EU or EEA country, provided that you meet the work requirement and are entitled to unemployment allowance (N.B. Does not apply to labour market subsidy).

Before departure, request a certificate of your entitlement to unemployment allowance from the authorities or the unemployment fund in your own country (form U2 if you move from an EU country and E303 if you move from Norway or Iceland). When you arrive in Åland as a jobseeker you must register with AMS within seven days of arrival in Åland.

If you do not find employment in Åland within three months of your date of departure and you do not want to lose your unemployment benefit you must return to your home country.

If you get a job you must as a rule leave the unemployment fund in the country you previously worked in and from then on pay unemployment contributions in your new country of employment. In Åland employees and unemployed persons can if they want join an unemployment fund that entitles them to earnings-related unemployment allowance once they have worked for the required period, i.e. the so-called work requirement has been met.  It is important not to resign from your old unemployment fund before membership of the new fund is active.

You should always ask your former unemployment fund for form E301 (certificate of insurance and employment periods). With the certificate, you can under certain conditions be credited insurance and employment periods from other EU/EEA countries if you work in Åland and become unemployed before you have worked long enough to be entitled to unemployment benefits.

For more information, ask the job centre or unemployment fund in your own country. In Åland you can get more information on the website of the Åland Labour Market and Student Service Authority.