Public employment services
Public employment services are basic municipal services. According to the constitution of Finland, public authorities shall promote employment and work towards guaranteeing for everyone the right to work. Unemployment benefits are basic income security as outlined in the constitution.
The Regional State Administrative Agency for Western and Inland Finland supervises the following on a national level
- employment authorities
- the organisation of employment services
- the KEHA Centre (the Development and Administrative Services Centre for Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment), when it carries out tasks under the Unemployment Security Act.
The duties of the Regional State Administrative Agency do not include supervising private service providers used by employment authorities to procure employment services. Employment authorities can procure services such as coaching, expert evaluations and labour market training from private service providers.
Supervision done by the Regional State Administrative Agency means monitoring legality, which includes investigating complaints and self-initiated supervision. The Regional State Administrative Agency may also carry out inspections.
If we detect any essential shortcomings in the provision of services, or if operations are otherwise illegal, we can issue an order to the employment authority or the KEHA Centre to rectify or eliminate these shortcomings. We can impose a conditional fine to ensure compliance with the order.
For processing complaints, we have the means of administrative control laid down in the Administrative Procedure Act at our disposal. We can provide the employment authority and the KEHA Centre or an individual working for them with guidance on how to fix shortcomings in their operations.
The public employment services organised by the employment authority include, among others
- employment services
- information, counselling and guidance services
- coaching
- labour market training
- change security training.
Public employment services also include
- expert assessments related to the service process of an individual customer
- trials
- independent study supported by unemployment benefit for jobseekers
- subsidies and compensation granted to employers and private customers.
The employment authorities and the KEHA Centre will issue labour policy statements within their authority.
You cannot file a separate appeal against a labour policy statement. Instead, you must file an appeal against a decision issued by the payer (Kela or an unemployment fund). You can appeal against the payer’s decision by submitting a complaint to the Social Security Appeal Board.
A complaint refers to a notification to the supervisory authority of suspected negligence or misconduct.
Complaint on employment services
You can submit a complaint on employment services to the Regional State Administrative Agency when
- your matter concerns the tasks of the employment authority, which are laid down in:
- the Act on the Organisation of Employment Services
- the Act on the Promotion of Immigrant Integration
- the Act on the Multisectoral Promotion of Employment
- the Act on Rehabilitative Work
- the employment authority or a person in an employment relationship with the employment authority has acted unlawfully or failed to fulfil their obligations.
Rehabilitative work services are part of social services and not public employment services. The wellbeing services county is responsible for organising rehabilitative work services. If a complaint concerns a matter under the Act on Rehabilitative Work that falls within the remit of the employment authority, the complaint is processed as a complaint on employment services.
It is not within the competence of the Regional State Administrative Agency to process complaints or enforcement cases concerning private employment service providers. Employment authorities can procure services such as coaching, expert evaluations and labour market training from private service providers.
Complaint on unemployment security
You can submit a complaint on unemployment security to the Regional State Administrative Agency when:
- your matter concerns the tasks of the employment authority or the KEHA Centre, which are laid down in the Unemployment Security Act, for example:
- investigating an unemployment security matter
- hearing in an unemployment security matter
- issuing a labour policy statement
- processing time of a labour policy statement
- the employment authority or the KEHA Centre or a person in an employment relationship with them has acted unlawfully or failed to fulfil their obligations when performing the duties laid down in the Unemployment Security Act.
A decision by a payer (Kela or unemployment fund) issued on the basis of a labour policy statement can be appealed to the Social Security Appeal Board within the deadline. Appeal instructions are attached to the payer’s decision.
Filing a complaint
You can find further information on filing a complaint on the Enforcement and reporting violations page.
Forms and contact information
Links to legal texts
Topics that might interest you
Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland
Job Market Finland
The Association of Finnish Municipalities
Employment areas (in Finnish)