Join us

To become a member of the fund, you must be a salaried employee covered by the Unemployment Security Act, under the age of 68, and either have completed higher education or equivalent specialised training, be studying towards such a qualification, or work in a position or field that requires this level of education – and be accepted as a member by the fund.

You can join the unemployment fund even on the basis of a short substitute job (even one hour) or a part-time employment contract. However, simply having an employment contract is not enough – you must also receive wages on the day you join. Therefore, you cannot join the fund if you are completely unemployed, fully laid off, or on unpaid parental leave, childcare leave, or sick leave. Studies or working on a grant do not prevent membership, provided the above conditions are met.

If you are an entrepreneur, please check the section Business Activities and Membership before applying. Finland’s unemployment security system is divided into an earnings-related allowance scheme for employees and a separate scheme for entrepreneurs. Since the Unemployment Fund Ote insures employees, we are not the right fund for those whose main occupation is self-employment. Entrepreneurs can insure themselves against unemployment through the Entrepreneur Fund.

An individual member belongs to the unemployment fund directly, without being a member of a trade union.

The unemployment fund provides advice and services related to earnings-related allowance, mobility allowance, and transition security allowance, and pays these benefits to eligible members. The benefits and other services offered by the fund are exactly the same, regardless of whether you belong through a trade union or as an individual member.

The unemployment fund membership fee is a fixed monthly amount, invoiced once a year in advance for individual members.

Additional Security Through a Trade Union

Many of our members belong to the unemployment fund as part of their trade union membership, giving them access to both the fund’s and the union’s benefits.

Services and benefits offered by trade unions to their members include shop steward services, professional advocacy, insurance cover, diverse training opportunities, recreational activities, partner benefits, and publications that strengthen professional identity. Trade union members have the right to assistance from workplace shop stewards or the union’s lawyers and other experts, for example in work-related disputes. Trade unions also negotiate agreements concerning employees and influence social decision-making and legislation affecting their sector.

For members who belong through a trade union, the unemployment fund membership fee is included in the union’s membership fee, and the union transfers the relevant portion to the fund.

A person moving to Finland from another EU/EEA country, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom can, under certain conditions, join a Finnish unemployment fund while unemployed. As a general rule, joining a Finnish unemployment fund must take place within one month of the termination of unemployment insurance in the country of departure.

If you are a so-called Nordic returnee, you must join a Finnish unemployment fund within eight weeks of the termination of unemployment insurance in another Nordic country (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland). A Nordic returnee is considered to be a person who has lived in another Nordic country and returned to Finland and has also either worked in Finland or received basic unemployment allowance or earnings-related allowance from Finland within the last five years.

Sweden and Denmark have a similar fund system to Finland. In these countries, a person’s insurance ends when they resign from fund membership. In other EU/EEA countries, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, unemployment insurance ends when insured employment or the payment of unemployment benefits ends.

A person moving to Finland from outside the EU/EEA, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom cannot join an unemployment fund while unemployed.

It is only possible to transfer from one unemployment fund to another while you are in employment. If you transfer from one wage-earner fund to another within one month, your previous periods of employment and insurance in the former fund can be credited in the new fund. This requires that all membership fees to the previous fund have been paid up to the end of your membership.

Your new membership must begin no later than one month after the previous one ends. Please note that any period of employment during which you are not a member of a fund is not insured and does not count towards the employment condition. We therefore recommend ensuring uninterrupted membership:

• First, send your membership application to the new fund.
• Once you have received confirmation of your new membership, notify the previous fund in writing of your resignation.
• Pay your membership fees to the previous fund until the end of your membership and immediately from the start of your new membership.

Membership and employment periods will not transfer to the new fund if you have been expelled from the previous fund.

You cannot belong to two unemployment funds at the same time. If you are in a situation where you are simultaneously a member of more than one fund, you will be considered a member of the unemployment fund you joined most recently.