Unemployment benefit processing delayed at Kela amid rising joblessness

Processing times for new basic unemployment allowance applications have stretched to an average of 3–4 weeks at Finland’s Social Insurance Institution (Kela), as a surge in claims follows the May introduction of the new benefit replacing labour market support and basic daily allowance, Yle reports.

By law, a decision on unemployment benefits must be issued within 30 calendar days of application. Continuation claims for ongoing unemployment periods are currently processed in under seven days.

Kela attributes the backlog to rising unemployment and a wave of graduating students entering the job market, and expects the situation to ease within a few weeks.