Finnish minister urges clarity on volunteer work for unemployed

Finnish Minister of Employment Matias Marttinen has called on employment areas to interpret the law more precisely concerning unemployed job seekers participating in volunteer work. Recent public discussions have highlighted cases where employment areas have requested additional clarifications from individuals engaged in volunteer or community activities, leading to anxiety about potential impacts on their unemployment benefits.

Marttinen stated that the legislation is "crystal clear" and unequivocally permits unemployed job seekers to undertake "typical, generally beneficial community and volunteer work" without impediment. He acknowledged that the inconsistent practices across different regions can create confusion and uncertainty for those involved in such activities. The minister urged employment areas to pay closer attention to the necessity of the information they collect in these situations.

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The law is completely unambiguous. An unemployed job seeker is allowed to do typical, generally beneficial community and volunteer work. There is no obstacle to that.

While the law permits volunteer work, it specifies that individuals are not entitled to unemployment benefits if they work unpaid for a company or in roles typically performed under an employment contract or as part of business operations. It is the authority's role to determine if the activity falls under the definition of "typical" volunteer work. Marttinen expressed a broader desire to reduce bureaucracy in Finland, encouraging more opportunities for the unemployed to study, volunteer, and develop their skills, though he acknowledged he cannot eliminate all such obstacles alone.

Employment areas, which have been responsible for public employment services since the beginning of last year, are responsible for these determinations. If a local employment authority deems volunteer or community work as non-typical, the case is escalated to the Centre for Employment, Economic Development and Cultural Affairs (Keha Centre) for a final decision. Timo Meling, a government counselor at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, indicated that the ministry has not found evidence of widespread misinterpretation of the law by employment areas, as their review of Keha Centre decisions this year revealed no instances where activities deemed non-typical volunteer work were actually standard volunteer activities.

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The more we can encourage those without work to study, participate in volunteer work, community work, and develop their own skills, the better. There is far too much of this kind of bureaucracy in Finland. I cannot eliminate all of it alone.