Parliament has decided to tighten the obligations of job seekers

The Parliament has approved the legislative amendments proposed by the Government, which will tighten the obligations of job seekers. Some of the amendments will enter into force on 1 January 2026 and some on 1 March 2026. The amendments affect both the validity of job search and unemployment benefits. They apply to all job seekers, not just the unemployed.

The following changes will be made to the legislation, among others:

Job offers oblige you to apply for a job

From 1 January 2026, job offers made by the employment authority will be binding on the job seeker. This means that if an employment advisor, business advisor or work ability advisor makes you a job offer, you must apply for the job in question.

However, applying for a job offered by an employment authority will not fulfill the job search obligation in the future.

In Riihimäki, Janakkala, Loppi and Hausjärvi, the employment authority is the South Häme employment area, or EHTA.

Neglect of job search results in a mandatory waiting period or employment obligation

From March 1, 2026, failure to apply for a job will have the following consequences for the job seeker:

• If you neglect something that is binding on you, such as a scheduled appointment, a job search obligation, or another task agreed upon in your plan, you can receive a seven-day mandatory waiting period for the first neglect. You will not receive unemployment benefits during the mandatory waiting period.
• If you neglect an obligation for a second time, you may be subject to a six-week work obligation. This means that you will only receive unemployment benefits after you have been working or participating in an employment promotion service for at least six weeks.

The employment authority will continue to calculate the number of neglects based on how many times the job seeker has neglected to look for work during the last 12 months.

Your job search may end immediately if you do not attend the meeting with the employment authority

From 1 March 2026, the employment authority may terminate a job seeker's job search immediately if he or she:

• fails to submit the required documents by the due date, or
• fails to participate in the initial interview, job search discussion or supplementary job search discussion agreed upon in the plan.

If the job seeker does not attend the meeting, the South Häme employment area will apply the legislation in force at the time of the meeting. It does not matter when the employment area sent the invitation to the meeting.