I am thinking about becoming or am an entrepreneur

The employment areas provide those interested in entrepreneurship with services such as financial support, training and coaching. 

Entrepreneur training courses are held as labour market training courses that provide participants with the necessary information and skills for planning and starting business activities. Some of the employment areas have separate entrepreneurship training courses and programmes for young people interested in becoming an entrepreneur. 

A new entrepreneur in need of financial support can apply for a startup grant from their own employment area when starting a business. The startup grant is granted for six months at a time and can be granted for up to one year. 

In addition to your designated specialist, you can receive advice for starting a business and applying for a startup grant from the Enterprise Agency of your area. The Enterprise Agencies hold entrepreneurship-related training events, provide personal business advice and provide new entrepreneurs with additional coaching in fields such as business marketing. 

Entrepreneurs are subject to different unemployment security rules than employees. As a rule, a full-time entrepreneur is not entitled to unemployment allowance if they work for two weeks or longer. A part-time entrepreneur can receive adjusted unemployment allowance. A new entrepreneur can have a four-month trial period during which it is not assessed whether their entrepreneurship is full-time and they retain their right to unemployment allowance. 

Please note that using invoicing services, also known as so-called light entrepreneurship, can also affect your right to unemployment allowance even if you do not have a business. Always notify your designated specialist if you use an invoicing service to charge clients for your work. 

If you are interested in becoming an entrepreneur, talk with your designated specialist about your unemployment security situation. If you have registered as a jobseeker, always report any changes related to starting, expanding or ceasing your business activities to your employment area. 

Read more detailed information about the unemployment security of entrepreneurs and self-employed people on the Job Market Finland website.