📋 Tender Overview
On December 17 2020 the governing parties outlined measures to promote the employment of people over 55 years of age and their ability to cope at work. The Parliament has approved the governments motion on April 21 2022 which proposed the removal of additional days of unemployment insurance and a new targeted change insurance for those over 55 years of age. By removing extra days we want to promote the employment of the elderly.The right to an additional day is removed from those born in 1965 and afterThe possibility of additional days of unemployment insurance is completely removed from those born in 1965 and after. For those born in 1963 and 1964 the minimum age limit for additional days increases by one year. For those born in 1963 the minimum age for additional days rises to 63 years and for those born in 1964 to 64 years.The change does not affect persons already on additional days of unemployment insurance or those born in 1962 or before.Strengthened change security to speed up re-employmentThe goal of the new change protection is to speed up the re-employment of the dismissed employee.In addition to the current change protection stipulated in the Employment Contracts Act a new change protection is provided for all over 55-year-olds dismissed on production or financial grounds who have been employed by the same employer for at least five years. The new change security consists of change security money and change security training. The relocation allowance is paid by the unemployment fund or Kela and it corresponds to one months salary of the dismissed employee. The change security allowance does not reduce the unemployment allowance or postpone its starting date. The change protection training is organized by the Employment and Economic Affairs Office and its value corresponds to a maximum of two months salary of the dismissed employee. The purpose of change protection training is to support the professional skills of the dismissed person or the skills to act as an entrepreneur and to promote the quick re-employment of the dismissed person. Registration as a job seeker knowledge and work ability mapping and making an employment plan are already done during the notice period.The new change insurance is financed through the Employment Fund with a change insurance fee which consists of the part of the terminating employer and the joint part. The common part is financed by increasing the unemployment insurance premium from all employers.Employment leaves are extended for employees who have reached the age of 55 and have worked for at least five years with the same employer. Currently the length of the employment leave is 5 10 or 20 days depending on the length of the employees notice period. From 2023 the length of the employment leave will be 5 15 or 25 days. Employment leave can be used to carry out a skills and work ability survey and to start change security training.The possibility of part-time work is improvedThe reform strengthens the right to reduced working hours for those over 55 who have worked for the same employer for at least three years. This also applies to situations where the employee is going on part-time sick leave early retirement pension or partial disability pension. If the employee submits a request to the employer to switch to part-time work the employer must primarily strive to organize the work so that the part-time work would be successful. However the employee does not have the subjective right to reduce his working hours. Legal changes will enter into force in 2023The legal changes will enter into force on January 1 2023. The new provisions regarding change protection apply and the terminating employers change protection fee is charged if the employee has been dismissed for production or financial reasons on or after January 1 2023.
