Lahti pilot aims to shift disabled jobseekers to proper benefits

A pilot project in Lahti is attempting to move people who are unable to work out of the unemployment register and onto sickness benefits, rehabilitation support or disability pensions, according to Yle.

The initiative is a response to a widespread problem: many registered jobseekers are in fact incapable of working. Hannele Maununen, a supported employment specialist in Lahti’s employment services, estimated that up to half of their clients may be unfit for work.

One participant, Timo Siitonen, has been unable to work since a 2018 truck accident that left him with nerve damage in his hand and chronic leg cramps. He said he has been offered jobs but considers it dishonest to accept when he might need sick leave shortly after. As an unemployed jobseeker he was required to apply for three jobs per month, but he believes he should be on a disability pension.

The pilot began in January and has selected about 100 people for free medical assessments at Mehiläinen, where a multi-disciplinary team evaluates their work ability and rehabilitation options. The city expects the process to take months as assessments and decisions from Kela or insurance companies are completed.

Lahti pays Kela 25 million euros this year in unemployment benefits, and the city hopes the pilot will reduce those costs by moving non‑employable people to appropriate benefits.

Minna Kivipelto, a leading researcher at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), told MTV Uutiset that nearly all clients of multi‑agency employment services are effectively incapable of work. In 2022, that group numbered about 40,000 people. Employment specialists are overwhelmed; Maununen said her team’s core task should be job placement but they now act as psychologists, nurses and social workers instead.