The goal: smoother and more modern social security
The working life has already changed. YTK’s election goal is to improve the ability of unemployment funds to support and protect their members in this changing working life.
Over 530 000 members
Work life expert
Unemployment insurance developer
Four stories about unemployment and finding work
Laura will graduate from a university of applied sciences in June. She doesn’t have a job yet, but she would like to join an unemployment fund before starting her first job and take advantage of the fund’s employment services.
However, she is unable to join.
Mika, who is unemployed, has the opportunity to work as a part-time entrepreneur and also to pursue his studies.
However, he doesn’t dare to seize these opportunities because he’s afraid of losing his unemployment benefits.
Artem, a professional in the metal industry, finds himself unemployed after being laid off. At the same time, on the other side of town, a company is desperately searching for someone with exactly his skill set.
Both exist, but they can’t find each other.
Kaisa is a digital service developer at YTK. The new benefits processing system already handles a large portion of the routine processing work. Kaisa’s job is to build on that system to develop better services for members.
However, moving the work forward is challenging. The rules governing the use of artificial intelligence are unclear, and there is no secure AI platform.
The working life has already changed. Now, social security must change as well.
Everyone should have the opportunity to build security for their career and benefit from employment support services even before their first job or between jobs.
YTK’s goal is for membership in the unemployment fund not to depend on whether you are currently employed, a student, or a job seeker.
SOLUTION: Allow membership for the unemployed and students
- Graduates and the unemployed will have access to employment support services
- The working condition for unemployment insurance (currently 12 months) will remain a condition for receiving daily benefits
- You cannot switch unemployment funds while unemployed
- The change would be cost-neutral for the government
For job seekers, the courage to try something new
YTK’s goal is for job seekers to be able to develop their skills, try their hand at entrepreneurship, and explore new paths without unreasonable uncertainty.
Legislation should encourage people to move forward, not keep them stuck in one place.
SOLUTION: Eliminate uncertainties that stand in the way of employment
Benefit levels ensure a livelihood and enable job search
- Income security is sufficient and predictable, which supports job search
- The first tier of the staggering should be introduced later and be less steep than it is now
- No further cuts to income security during the 2027–2031 legislative term
The assessment of the employment impact of business activities should be improved
- The assessment process should be reformed to be conducted on a regular basis and in such a way that it affects only future benefits, not retroactively
- The assessment should take into account the actual workload and overall situation of the business
- When assessing business operations, the employment authority should pay closer attention to the workload required by the business and apply a overall assessment*
(*Source: Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment report)
Uncertainty must not prevent individuals from starting training that improves their job prospects
- Based on feedback from our members, people are hesitant to begin their studies for fear of losing their benefits, as the loss may even be retroactive
From a safety net to a bridge to the future
Our goal is for unemployment funds to be not just a safety net when a job ends, but a bridge to the next job.
Unemployment funds deal with a huge number of job seekers every year. That is why they should play a greater role than they do now in helping people find work.
SOLUTION: Expand the role of unemployment funds in employment
Cooperation between unemployment funds and employment regions must be clarified
- Create a model in which the employment support services provided by employment regions and unemployment funds complement each other in the best possible way
- Develop a comprehensive service package so that, together, the services address the difficult bottlenecks in employment
- Unemployment funds’ employment services could be incorporated into employment plans and utilized in a more systematic manner. This requires a legislative change to make the services provided by unemployment funds that are included in employment plans mandatory.
Enable cooperation between unemployment funds and employers
- Unemployment funds should be allowed to cooperate more extensively with employers than they do now, so that the funds can refer hidden job openings to their members and promote their rapid re-employment. Effectively circulate hidden job openings
Clear rules for AI and information security in development
Legislation must be developed to ensure that there are clear rules governing the use of AI in the administration of social security.
Furthermore, when developing a secure AI platform for the public sector, unemployment funds must be taken into account as one of the users.
SOLUTION: Artificial intelligence to streamline fund operations
Legislation to enable the use of artificial intelligence in decision-making and other stages of administrative procedures
- A clear national interpretation and common, predictable rules
- Shared infrastructure: not all actors should have to build secure AI solutions on their own.
Member Pulse survey reveals members’ support for election goals
A comprehensive survey shows that YTK’s advocacy goals have the support of its membership. More than half of the respondents to the October Member Pulse survey (52%) support allowing students to join the unemployment fund, and 40% support allowing the unemployed to join. The results also highlight the need for more flexible and clearer unemployment security: uncertainty regarding benefit implications has prevented people from working and studying.
Members value services that support employment, but the division of labor between the unemployment fund and public employment services is often perceived as unclear. There is also a positive attitude toward the use of artificial intelligence, provided that transparency in decision-making, data security, and the possibility of human review are ensured.