Kela asks for customers’ experiences on how income and benefits fit together

Work takes more forms than before, and an increasing number of people are earning their income from several different sources, such as short jobs, part-time and freelance work, self-employment and other sources of income. Kela wants to better understand the effect that different types and combinations of work have on customers’ daily lives and what the customers’ needs are in these varied situations. The results of the survey will be used to develop Kela’s services and customers’ access to the services. Members of Kela’s Customer Community can answer the survey until 13 September 2026.

The survey is intended for customers who receive or have applied for Kela benefits in addition to their earned income or income from self-employment, and for employed people who are currently not Kela’s customers.

 “Work takes more forms than ever before, and income can come from a wide variety of sources.  We want to gain a better understanding of the different kinds of situations our customers are in and of how we can improve our services in the best way possible,” says Senior Specialist Elina Salmi from Kela’s Customer Relations Unit. 

Kela launches the survey to better understand different ways to work and combine jobs

The survey covers aspects such as the respondent’s employment situation, variations in income, ability to support themselves financially and experiences of Kela’s services. The survey aims to identify situations where customers experience uncertainty or difficulties in relation to benefits or Kela’s service channels.

Kela also wants to hear customers’ experiences of situations when they need both income and benefits, for example when a new job starts or an old one ends, when the amount of income varies, or during self-employment.

“We want to hear what daily life looks like for people who work. Nowadays, work can come in many forms. Services and benefits may not always fit the situation in the way that works best for the customer. Hearing about our customers’ experiences helps us identify what to develop and how to make things even clearer,” says Salmi.

Members of Kela’s Customer Community can help Kela develop its services

Kela’s Customer Community is open to all persons aged 16 or over. The Community operates primarily online, and invitations to fill out surveys are sent via email. Each member can choose what surveys or other tasks they want to complete and what topics they want to share their opinions on. All answers are anonymous and do not affect the respondent’s customer relations with Kela in any way.

Kela’s Customer Community operates in English, Finnish and Swedish. To date, over 2,000 members have joined the Community. Kela hopes that people from diverse backgrounds and in different situations join the Community.

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Customer insight and service development at Kela