Much of the responsibility for matters related to long-term unemployment is to be foisted exclusively on Finland’s local authorities from the beginning of next year.
This means that “activation plans” are to be made on the municipal level for each long-term jobless person, in which ways are sought to get the person back into work. Until now, such plans have been mandatory only for those long-term jobless who are under 25 years of age.
The home municipalities of the people in question are also expected to organise the measures to be taken in the activation plans. These can vary from job training courses to substance abuse rehabilitation. The measures are expected to involve a minimum of four hours a week.
Figures put out by the Social Insurance Institution (KELA) indicate that there were more than 50,000 such jobless in March. A calculation by the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, municipal expenses resulting from the measure will be about EEUR 180 million. The elimination of the age limit is expected to impose costs of EUR 2.1 million on the state.
A person who refuses to participate in work-oriented rehabilitation is set to temporarily lose his or her labour market subsidy, leaving municipal income supplements as the person’s only source of money.
The Municipality of Mäntsälä is well ahead of many other communities in rehabilitative labour policy.
Cooperation between the municipality and the local labour exchange has proceeded so well that many of the community’s long-term jobless have an activation plan in force, and the rest are expected to be taken on board soon.
Some of those who are being helped have unemployment histories going back as far as ten years.
