Tekijä (15.01.2025 - Heikki Jokinen) The state will provide more money to the municipalities for their new employment undertakings. The amount of support will be calculated on the basis of the number of working-age people and unemployed in the municipality in question.
However, the amount to be paid for integration training will be based on the number of people with mother tongues other than the national languages.
As the payment of unemployment benefits is to be transferred to the municipalities, the latter will receive compensation from the state.
As a carrot, state support will not be earmarked. It may be used for costs other than employment services, also. Once municipalities succeed in making a real reduction in unemployment, they will be free to use surplus money for other costs.
Also, the longer a person remains unemployed the bigger the share of the benefit burden on the municipality. This should spur on municipalities to invest in employment services. It would both reduce unemployment and lower the benefit costs a municipality has to pay out.
Of course, there is a danger that municipalities will channel part of the new employment service money elsewhere. The ministry of employment will follow developments, but municipalities get to decide.