Working in an EU area (EU, EEA, Switzerland) country
You must take out unemployment insurance in the country in which you perform the work.
Sweden and Denmark have a system of unemployment funds similar to the one in Finland. If you are working in Sweden or Denmark, you must join a local unemployment fund in lieu of unemployment insurance.
In other countries in the EU area, you have unemployment coverage on the basis of employment. However, check with the local authorities to find out about requirements for unemployment security before starting work in that country.
When you have insurance in another EU area country, you do not necessarily need to maintain the KOKO fund membership. You must, however, rejoin KOKO immediately when you return to Finland. When returning from an EU area country, you may rejoin KOKO while unemployed if you do so within 1 month of the expiry of unemployment insurance in your previous country of employment.
Short-term employment in an EU area country
If you are going to work in another EU area country for a short period of time, contact KOKO for detailed advice as to what to do about your membership.
Working outside the EU area
You should not discontinue your membership of KOKO because of a short period of employment abroad. When you return to Finland from a country outside the EU area, you cannot rejoin KOKO if you are unemployed. By keeping up your membership you can avoid interruptions in it.
Membership of KOKO will no longer be useful to you if you do not meet the employment condition within the review period. In case of an extended stay abroad, it may be advisable for you to discontinue your membership of KOKO. Note that in this case too you cannot rejoin KOKO while unemployed; having returned to Finland, you can only rejoin KOKO once you have employment in Finland.
If either of the two options below applies to you, you should keep your membership in KOKO.
- You have met the employment condition, and your daily allowance was calculated in Finland before you went abroad. After your return (regardless of how long your stay abroad was), you may receive the same daily allowance as previously calculated, unless in between you have been absent from the labour market or not a member of an unemployment fund.
- You work abroad for a short period so that within the review period of 28 months you have at least 26 calendar weeks of employment in Finland that meets the employment condition.
In both cases, KOKO recommends that you remain a member of KOKO for the duration of your stay abroad.
Further information on Working outside the EU area.
Working as a posted worker
Do not discontinue your membership in KOKO if you are a posted worker sent abroad by a Finnish employer, because you will remain covered by the Finnish insurance system.