Seaso­nal work made less attractive

One of the hars­hest chan­ges doubles the time in work needed to get earnings-rela­ted unemplo­y­ment allowance. For now, one needs to have 26 weeks (about six months) emplo­y­ment during the 28 months prece­ding unemployment.

From Septem­ber this year, this emplo­y­ment condi­tion will be exten­ded from 6 to 12 months during these same 28 months. This means it will be much harder to be eligible for earnings-rela­ted unemplo­y­ment bene­fits, just like the govern­ment parties intend it to be.

At the same time, the emplo­y­ment condi­tion will be linked to euros earned. From Septem­ber, one must earn in each of these 12 months needed at least 930 euro a month. Until now, the rule is that one must work at least 18 hours in each of the 26 weeks needed.

The chan­ges in the work requi­re­ment can make life more difficult for those in seaso­nal work. For them, it will be more difficult to get earnings-rela­ted unemplo­y­ment allowance for the time when there is no work avai­lable in their own branch.

The chan­ges in the work requi­re­ment can make life more difficult for those in seaso­nal work.

In Finland, there is a big number of people doing seaso­nal work. For instance, in agricul­ture, fore­stry, horticul­ture and landsca­ping branc­hes, work is done mainly in the snow-free months of the year.

Though people in seaso­nal work seek other work outside their usual working months, this work is not always avai­lable. And when it exists, it is in many cases somew­here else than in the area where one lives. The result would be a modern noma­dic life, moving seve­ral times a year.

Anot­her plan of the right-wing govern­ment is that those living in Finland with a resi­dence permit, must, in case of unemplo­y­ment, find a new job within three months or leave the country.

This would make life for many foreign people in Finland difficult in gene­ral, and in particu­lar for those in seaso­nal work.

Insecu­rity for foreign employees

– Even now the emplo­yers have problems finding emplo­yees. These branc­hes do not attract too many Finns due to the seaso­nal nature of the work, gene­rally heavy work and quite low pay, says Riikka Vasama, the Bargai­ning Specia­list at the Industrial Union in her inter­view in Finnish for this magazine (page 8).

For example, in the agricul­ture and horticul­ture sector the share of foreign emplo­yees is high. The Industrial Union and the Fede­ra­tion of Agricul­tu­ral Emplo­yers esti­mate that half of the people working in these branc­hes have a foreign background.

– When spea­king about seaso­nal workers, in some workplaces the share is 80–90 per cent, and in some cases even a 100 per cent.

Many of the seaso­nal branc­hes are very impor­tant for Finland.

– We do speak about producing food, local food and ecology. These branc­hes are impor­tant for Finland even for the secu­rity of supply, Vasama stresses.

– I believe that due to these govern­ment actions the attrac­ti­ve­ness of these branc­hes will not be growing.