Information for students

What is the Aaria Unemployment Fund?

All employees in employment and public-service employment relationships can become members of the Aaria Unemployment Fund. You can join Aaria regardless of your industry or educational background.

Our task is to pay our members unemployment security during unemployment, lay-offs or part-time work. We also pay our members job alternation allowance for the duration of their job alternation leave as well as mobility allowance.

Many of our members are members of the Aaria Unemployment Fund through their trade union. However, you can also join Aaria without being a member of a trade union.

How can I join Aaria?

You can join the Aaria Unemployment Fund during your studies if you are working in a summer job, have part-time work or a permanent employment relationship.

You must apply for membership of the unemployment fund. For instructions on how to submit an application, please visit our ‘How do I join?’ section.

What are the benefits of being a member?

By becoming a member of the Aaria Unemployment Fund, you can accumulate the right to earnings-related allowance by working. In other words, you will receive unemployment security if you are unemployed, the amount of which is calculated on the basis of your salary.

You can join the unemployment fund already at the age of 18, for example during your summer job. When you have accumulated the employment requirement during your membership period at the unemployment fund, you will receive earnings-related allowance if you are unemployed, if you do not have a place to study or you cannot find a job immediately after graduation.

If you do not belong to an unemployment fund, you will receive unemployment security from Kela. The unemployment security paid by Kela is the same for everyone and usually less than the earnings-related allowance paid by the unemployment fund. In 2024, Kela’s unemployment security is 37.21 € per day, i.e. approximately 800 € per month.

You can calculate an estimate of your earnings-related allowance in our daily allowance calculator.

When can I receive earnings-related allowance?

You can receive earnings-related allowance from your unemployment fund if:

• you are over 18 years of age (or 17 years of age and have completed your compulsory education),
• you have a vocational qualification or have applied for studies but have no study place or have reached the age of 25,
• you are unemployed or laid off or employed only partially in part-time or gig jobs,
• you are applying for a full-time job and you have registered with the TE Office as an unemployed job seeker,
• you are a member of the unemployment fund and
• you fulfil the employment requirement during your membership period at the fund.

The employment requirement will extend from 26 weeks (approximately 6 months) to 12 months as of 2 September 2024. The change means that 12 months of work are required to fulfil the employment requirement. Until 1 September 2024, an earnings-related unemployment allowance can be received after 26 calendar weeks, or approximately six months, of employment.

You can use the employment calculator on the TYJ website to assess whether you have worked enough to receive earnings-related allowance. Please note that working only accumulates the employment requirement if you belong to an unemployment fund at the same time.

Employment requirement calculator (TYJ ry)

Can a student receive unemployment security?

You cannot receive earnings-related allowance when you are studying in high school, vocational school or at a higher education institution for a degree.

However, you can become a member of an unemployment fund already during your studies if you are working in addition to studying or working during summer. ‘Paid employment relationship’ in this context means having a permanent or a fixed-term employment contract for full-time or part-time work.

How much does it cost to be a member of Aaria?

The Aaria Unemployment Fund’s membership fee for 2024 is 6,5 € per month, i.e. 78 € for the whole year.

Please note that the membership fee for one year is equivalent to less than two days’ earnings-related unemployment security with a monthly salary of 2,000 €. The membership fee is therefore small compared to the benefit of a membership, in case you become unemployed.