Finland is located in northern Europe, one of the world’s most northern and geographically remote countries. Nearly two-thirds of Finland is blanketed by thick woodlands, making it the most densely forested country in Europe. Finland ranked highest in happiness, reaching 8.2 on a 10-point scale in 2016 versus an EU average of 7.4.
*Please note that the official currency is the currency of remuneration when employed through WorkMotion in Finland.
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Capital :
Helsinki
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Currency :
Euro (€, EUR)
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Languages spoken :
Finnish, Swedish
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Population :
5.54 million (2021 est.)
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Minimum wage 2023 :
Regulated by CBAs
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Cost of Living index :
$$$$ (21 of 139 nations)
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Payroll Frequency :
Monthly
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VAT - standard rate :
24%
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GDP - real growth rate :
3.5% (2021 est.)
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The national holidays mentioned below are valid for the year 2024.
The Finnish calendar has 20 flag days. The calendar for the Swedish-speaking population has three additional official flag days for the Åland Islands. The Sámi have 12 of their own official flag days.
The approximate time for sharing the contract with an employee in Finland is 4 business days assuming no special requests or changes to our standard employment contract. Any such requests or changes would need to undergo internal and external review, directly leading to a time delay.
NOTE: This number is subject to change and is only an estimation of the Contract Sharing Time. The estimated Contract Sharing Time begins from the moment that WorkMotion has received all required information from both the client and the employee.
The standard working hours in Finland is eight hours a day and 40 hours a week.
The maximum amount of working time, including overtime, cannot exceed 48 hours per week, over a period of four months. For daily overtime (over eight hours per day), the first two overtime hours of a working day must be compensated with the regular wage plus 50%; the additional will be the regular wage plus 100%.
For weekly overtime (over 40 hours per week), the compensation is the pay plus 50%.
The maximum length of a trial period is six months. In the case of fixed-term contracts, the length of the trial period, including any extensions, cannot exceed half the length of the contract.
Fixed-term contracts end without notice at the end of the pre-specified employment period. Indefinitely valid employment relationships end either by mutual agreement between the employer and the employee or by a unilateral act of termination (giving notice).
| Job Duration | Notice Period |
| up to one year | 14 days |
| 1-4 years | 1 month |
| 4-8 years | 2 months |
| 8-12 years | 4 months |
| More than 12 years | 6 months |
Employees are entitled to 24 or 30 days of annual leave depending on their earned holiday credit based on the Annual Holidays Act.
Employees can earn their holiday the following ways:
A doctor’s certificate is required for the period during which an employee is unable to work. Employees who are prevented from performing their work by an illness or accident are entitled to pay during illness.
If the employment relationship has lasted less than a month, employees are entitled to 50% of their pay. If the employment relationship lasts more than one month, employees are entitled to full pay for the period of disability up to the end of the ninth day following the date of falling ill.
Both parents who are guardians of the child are entitled to parental leave for 160 days of parental allowance. An employee has the right to take parental leave for a maximum of four separate periods. The minimum length of the period of leave is 12 working days. In both cases, parental leave must be taken before the child turns two years.
The pregnant parent is entitled to pregnancy leave. The duration is 40 working days and must be taken as an uninterrupted period. Pregnancy leave usually begins 30 working days before the estimated date of delivery. It is also possible to agree later with the employer of the start of the pregnancy leave, but no later than 14 working days before the estimated date of delivery.
Paternity leave is granted under the parental allowance. The child’s other parent is entitled to 97 days’ paid parental allowance, and 63 days’ paid transferrable parental allowance.
The duration of employment leave is determined in accordance with the duration of the period of notice as follows:
Employees shall be entitled to temporary absence from work due to compelling reasons such as family illnesses or accidents. The employer is not required to pay the employee’s remuneration for the duration of this family leave.
An employer can grant additional unpaid time off at an employee’s request.
The statutory social insurance contributions in Finland are:
The employer and the employee pay for social security together. Finnish statutory earnings-related pensions, as well as the workers’ compensation insurance and the employees’ group life insurance, are managed by private pension insurers. The Employment Fund administers unemployment insurance. Social insurance and health insurance contributions are paid to the tax authorities.
Employer’s social security contributions in percentage of income:
| Categories | Contribution |
| Health Insurance | 1.53% |
| Workers’ Compensation Insurance |
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| Unemployment Insurance (collected by the Employment Fund) | For a salary amount not exceeding €2,251,500 / year (2023)
For the part of the salary amount exceeding €2,251,500 / year (2023)
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| Employer’s TyEL contribution | 17.40% (average) |
| Group Life Insurance Premium | 0.06% (average) |
The employer and the employee must pay Social Security contributions to tax authorities if the employee is insured in Finland according to the Health Insurance Act.
The employer pays both its own and the employee’s share of the unemployment insurance contribution to the Employment Fund.
The employer pays the workers’ compensation insurance contributions to the insurance company of its choice.
The employer pays the employees’ group life insurance contributions to the insurance company of its choice. It is paid in full by the employer.
The employer pays both its own and the employee’s share of the earnings-related pension contribution to the pension insurance company of its choice. In 2023, the average total earnings-related pension insurance contribution rate is 24.85% of the employee’s monthly gross wage.
The employee’s share of the contribution is as follows:
| Employee’s share of the TyEL contribution (based on age) | Percentage |
| Proportion of an employee aged 17-52 | 7.15% |
| Proportion of employee aged 53-62 | 8.65% |
| Share of employee over 63 years of age | 7.15% |
Based on the rates in the table above, the employer withholds the employee’s share of the contribution in connection with paying out the wage.
Kela, the national social insurance organization, pays child benefits for children under the age of 17. Beneficiaries can receive child benefits from the beginning of the month following the birth of the child.
There are three different kinds of disability allowance:
The information contained in this Country Guide is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter. The contents of this Country Guide contain general information and may not reflect current legal developments or address your situation. You should not act or refrain from acting on the basis of any content included in this Country Guide without seeking the advice or representation of a licensed attorney. WorkMotion Software GmbH disclaims all liability for actions you take or fail to take based on any content included in this Country Guide.
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