Guide: working in Finland

This guide will point you in the right direction if you are looking for information on job hunting in Finland, the Finnish unemployment security system and unemployment funds, trade unions, social security in different work situations, sickness allowance and rehabilitation, employees’ rights and obligations and employment taxation.

Also take a look at the guide Guide: moving to Finland, which contains general advice on moving to Finland.

If you are an employee posted to Finland from abroad, not all of the instructions on this page apply to you. See the page Workers posted from and to Finland

If you are a Nordic citizen, you do not need a residence or employment permit in Finland. There are certain conditions, however, for citizens of non-Nordic EU and EEA countries and other countries. Read more on the page Right of residence and right to work in Finland.

If you have a foreign qualification, in most cases your employer will independently assess the its validity for the job. In certain occupations, however, you need to have your qualification recognised or have the right to practise the profession. Read more on the page Recognition of professional qualifications and foreign diplomas in Finland.

You can find information on employment contracts, collective agreements and other matters related to terms of employment on the page Employees’ rights and obligations in Finland. You can find information on the trade unions that monitor employees’ rights on the page Trade unions in Finland.

You can look for a job in Finland in advance from abroad or after arriving in Finland. Read more on the page Job hunting in Finland.

You can also come to Finland as an unemployed jobseeker and get unemployment allowance, but for this you must register as an unemployed jobseeker in your country of departure in good time before you move. Find out more on the page on unemployment security in your country.

If you are getting Finnish unemployment benefit and you are interested in going to another Nordic country to look for work, find out more on the page Unemployment benefits in Finland.

In Finland, unemployment allowance is paid from two different systems. If you become unemployed and you are a member of an unemployment fund, you can get earnings-related unemployment allowance. If you are not a member of an unemployment fund, you can get basic unemployment allowance from the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela). If you are not entitled to unemployment allowance, you can get labour market subsidy. Read more on the page Unemployment benefits in Finland.

The links below will guide you through your social security questions.

Are you entitled to social security benefits in Finland?

If you move to Finland to work, you are usually entitled to Finnish social security from the time you start working. There are several exceptions to this rule, however. Read more on the page Finnish social security if you live or work in Finland. 

If you are a posted worker, you can find information on the page Workers posted from and to Finland. If you are a researcher or grant recipient, you can find information on social security on the page Researchers and grant recipients in Finland.

What if you fall ill while working in Finland?

You can find information on Finnish social security and entitlement to health services, sickness allowance and rehabilitation on the pages listed below.

As a rule, taxes are paid to the country where you work or get your income. If you live in a different country, your income may also affect your taxation in your country of residence. Therefore income must be declared for taxation both in your country of residence and country of employment.

Read more on the page Taxation in Finland or the Nordic tax portal Nordisk eTax.