New voucher to strengthen competences and working life skills for long-term unemployed people

Valtioneuvosto on 22. lokakuuta 2026 hyväksynyt asetuksen työvoimaviranomaiselle myönnettävästä valtionavustuksesta, jolla nämä voivat kattaa kustannuksia pitkäaikaistyöttömille tarjoamistaan osaamisen kehittämiseksi tarkoitetuista palveluista ja opinnoista. Kyse on niin kutsutusta pitkäaikaistyöttömien osaamissetelistä.

The voucher aims to improve the employment prospects of long-term unemployed people in the open labour market by strengthening their competencies and working life skills through services and education.

“This voucher will help the long-term unemployed develop their competences and acquire the kind of training that best suits their particular situation in order to promote employment. More than ever, finding work requires people to update their skills or even acquire entirely new ones. This is a concrete tool to help long-term unemployed people re-enter the labour market,” says Minister of Employment Matias Marttinen.

“Another purpose of the competence voucher is to support the development of entirely new education and training packages and service paths that meet the needs of the long-term unemployed,” Marttinen adds.

The voucher is intended for persons aged 25 or over who have been unemployed for at least 12 months during the 14 months immediately preceding the start of the services or studies.

Competence voucher to be used for career guidance, coaching and education

The employment authorities can use the competence voucher to provide paid career guidance and coaching services to the long-term unemployed to help them clarify their career plans and enhance their working life skills. In addition, the employment authorities can use the voucher to fund education aimed at strengthening professional skills or supporting business activities for up to six months.