Expenditure on earnings-related unemployment benefits fell while expenditure on basic unemployment benefits grew in 2025

Total expenditure on unemployment benefits amounted to EUR 3,919 million in 2025. Unemployment funds accounted for a total of EUR 1,849 million of this total in earnings-related unemployment benefits and Kela for EUR 2,070 million in basic unemployment benefits.  

The expenditure on earnings-related unemployment benefits decreased by 11.4%, while basic unemployment benefit expenditure increased by 8.2% in comparison to 2024. The total expenditure on unemployment benefits decreased by 2% in nominal terms. In real terms, i.e. when taking into account changes in the cost of living, the total expenditure decreased by 2.4%. The number of compensated days decreased by 9.5% for earnings-related unemployment benefits and by 12.1% for basic unemployment benefits. 

More labour market subsidy recipients, fewer earnings-related unemployment allowance recipients 

At the end of 2025, there were altogether 351,873 recipients of unemployment benefits, which represented 10.4% of the Finnish population between ages 17 and 64 at that point in time. The percentage of recipients in the population varied by municipality from 3.1% to 18.6% with the highest rates of benefit recipiency observed in Eastern Finland.  

Over the course of 2025, earnings-related unemployment allowance was paid to a total of 261,377 recipients, which was 21,565 fewer recipients than in the previous year. 

“The decrease in the number of earnings-related unemployment benefit recipients in 2025 may be partly explained by the fact that the work requirement was extended from six to 12 months at the end of 2024. This means that earnings-related unemployment benefits are more difficult to access than before. In addition, the percentage of long-term unemployed jobseekers increased in 2025,” says Laura Peutere, Senior Researcher at Kela. 

In 2025, the total number of recipients of basic unemployment allowance was 78,640, which translates into 2,086 fewer recipients than in the previous year. The number of recipients of labour market subsidy totalled 273,218, which marks an increase of 31,769 recipients compared to 2024. 

The average rate of earnings-related unemployment allowance was EUR 70.20 per day in 2025. The average rate of labour market subsidy was EUR 36.20 per day.  

Unemployment funds pay earnings-related unemployment allowance to their members. Kela pays unemployment benefits to customers who do not qualify for earnings-related unemployment allowance or who have received earnings-related unemployment allowance for the maximum period. Kela granted basic unemployment allowance and labour market subsidy until 30 April 2026. General social security benefit granted on the basis of unemployment replaced these benefits on 1 May 2026. 

More information

Statistical Yearbook on Unemployment Protection in Finland 2025 

Unemployment benefits: Statistical charts