Municipal employment supplement for enterprises

In 2026, the municipal employment supplement will not be granted to companies in addition to wage subsidies, but as a separate form of financial support for employment.

BusinessOulu supports companies’ hiring efforts through various forms of financial support designed to lower the barriers to recruitment. If the criteria are met, subsidies may be paid toward the hiring costs of the person being recruited when a company hires unemployed individuals from Oulu.

Financial employment subsidies are granted within the limits of the 2026 budget appropriations. The exhaustion of the budgeted funds for the municipal employment supplement may be grounds for a negative decision on a subsidy application.

The municipal employment supplement must be used to cover the employee’s salary costs and statutory employer costs.

The maximum monthly amount of the municipal employment supplement for businesses is €1,500 per month for decisions that have not been granted wage subsidies or employment subsidies for people aged 55 or older.

The subsidy covers up to 50% of wage costs, but no more than €1,500 per month, and is paid for a maximum of 12 months according to the duration of the employment relationship, provided the employment relationship begins between January 1, 2026, and December 31, 2026.

Support for an apprenticeship may be granted for its entire duration.

The organiser of the apprenticeship training pays the employer compensation (training compensation) for organising on-the-job training based on the costs estimated to fall on the employer as a result of the training. The company is responsible for the employer’s obligations regarding wage subsidy reporting and payments (e.g., monitoring absences; insurance must be agreed upon in writing with the company).

The municipal employment supplement is always granted on the condition that the employee works at least 85% of full-time hours and that the employee is paid a wage in accordance with the collective labour agreement applicable to the employment relationship or, if no such agreement exists, a customary and reasonable wage for the work in question.

The municipal employment supplement for businesses may be granted to an employer for the employment of job seekers in Oulu whose unemployment has lasted at least 3 months.

A prerequisite for granting the municipal employment supplement is an assessment by BusinessOulu’s employment services that the employment relationship promotes the customer’s long-term employment and transition into the open labour market.

Companies cannot apply for the municipal employment supplement if any other employment subsidy has been granted for the wage costs. The company may still apply for a wage subsidy, but in that case, the company will no longer be eligible to receive the municipal supplement for the same person’s wage costs.

Employment supported by the municipal employment supplement for companies must accumulate the required working hours and meet the wage requirements to fulfill the employee’s employment eligibility criteria (Unemployment Security Act 1290/2002, Section 5:4). (Minimum employment duration: 12 months).

If the company applying for the subsidy has tax arrears at the time of submitting the municipal employment subsidy application, the applicant must submit proof of tax payment or a statement regarding a payment arrangement for the tax arrears.

Currently, the only method of application available is the application form, which should be sent to kuntalisa@businessoulu.com

1. Apply for the municipal employment supplement on the online eAsiointi service or send the original application for the supplement with attachments to BusinessOulu Employment Services.

2. The application must be submitted within three months of the start of employment. Otherwise, the subsidy may be granted retroactively from the beginning of the month in which the application was submitted. If the application for the municipal employment supplement has not been received by the deadline and the employment relationship ends, the municipal supplement will not be granted retroactively.

Attachments required

• copy of the employment contract
• certificate of ongoing job search

In the case of an apprenticeship, also

• a copy of the employment authority’s wage subsidy decision and the employment contract

Please post the completed application to the address below:

Postal address:
Business Oulu -liikelaitos
Työllisyyspalvelut / Kuntalisä
PL 22
90015 Oulun kaupunki
e-mail: kuntalisa@businessoulu.com

We have started using the Suomi.fi messaging service to notify customers of municipal employment supplement decisions and to provide guidance. Instructions on how to use the service can be found at Messages – Suomi.fi. Using Suomi.fi messages requires strong authentication on the Suomi.fi online service. The kuntalisa@businessoulu.com email address is still in use for general advice regarding the municipal supplement, but all messages containing personal data must be sent via the Suomi.fi messaging service.

If Suomi.fi messaging is unavailable, messages containing personal data must be sent via the City of Oulu’s secure mail service.

The employer must regularly submit the payslips of their employees to BusinessOulu’s employment services. The subsidy is paid retroactively based on actual payroll costs.

If the application was submitted via eAsiointi, all pay periods and their attachments must also be submitted via eAsiointi. For the time being, the email address kuntalisa@businessoulu.com is in use.