Job alternation leave is ending

Topics

• Income security
• Law change

Parliament has discussed the Government’s proposal to abolish alternation leave. Alternation leave will be abolished from 1.8.2024. The Act on the abolition of adult education allowance was also adopted at the same time.

Alternation leave has allowed you to take up to six months of alternation leave if your employer has hired an unemployed person to replace you for the same period. You are not paid a salary for the period of the leave, but a alternation allowance.

The amendment to the law now adopted will abolish this leave from 1.8.2024. This means that you will still be able to start your alternation leave on 31.7.2024. This means that the alternation contract must be submitted to the TE Office and the start date of the employment contract of the replacement for the alternation leave must be no later than 31.7.2024.

Alternation leave that started before the abolition can normally continue for the full maximum period of 180 calendar days.

No new alternation leave may be taken on or after 1.8.2024.

Around 5 000 people have taken alternation leave each year. Over the years, the conditions for alternation leave have been tightened up, so that its use has already fallen significantly in the past.