Employment contract in Finland
An employment contract in Finland binds both sides once you and the employer agree on the work, whether the agreement is verbal, written or electronic. Whatever the form, the employer must give you a written statement of the principal terms: items 1 to 8 within seven days of the start of work and the rest within one month. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (työsuojelu) sets out both rules on its employment contract page and its terms and conditions page.
Who this applies to
These rules cover everyone employed by an employer in Finland, Finnish and foreign citizens alike. Two groups need to read further:
- Employees with very short hours. The written statement is required only for an employee who works at least three hours a week on average over four successive weeks.
- Workers from outside the EU and EEA. The contract rules are the same, and your residence permit application also carries the employer's statement of your terms of employment for Migri, which the employer fills in separately.
Key time limits
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's pages on the employment contract, the statement of terms and the trial period set these limits:
| Rule | Limit |
|---|---|
| Written statement, items 1 to 8 | Within 7 days of the start of work |
| Written statement, remaining items | Within 1 month of the start of work |
| Hours below which no statement is needed | Under 3 hours a week on average over 4 successive weeks |
| Maximum trial period | 6 months |
| Trial period in a fixed-term contract | At most half the contract's length, up to 6 months |
| Age to make your own contract | 15 |
| Age with a guardian's consent | 14 during the calendar year |
The written statement of principal terms
The statement can be on paper or electronic, and it can be one document or several. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration states that "it is recommended that all information is provided on a single document within seven days." A written, signed employment contract that contains the same information fulfils the obligation.
Items due within seven days
The terms and conditions page lists fifteen items. Items 1 to 8 are due within seven days:
- The domicile or business location of the employer and the employee.
- The start date of the work.
- The grounds for a fixed-term contract, or a notice that the fixed-term contract was made under the rules that allow it without a justified reason.
- The trial period.
- The place of work, or the principles for working in several locations.
- The employee's principal tasks.
- The grounds for determining pay and other remuneration, and the pay period.
- The working hours.
Items due within one month
The remaining items are details of variable working hours where they apply, details of temporary agency work where it applies, any right to training, how annual holiday is determined, the notice period or the basis for it, the applicable collective agreement, and the insurance institutions providing the employee's pension cover and occupational accident and disease insurance.
The collective agreement as the floor
A contract term that conflicts with the applicable collective agreement (työehtosopimus, TES) is void. The employment contract page states that such a provision is "null and void, and the provision of the collective agreement must be observed instead." This also covers employers outside employer organisations when the sector has a universally binding collective agreement.
Pay below the agreement's rate for the job cannot be enforced, and a notice period shorter than the agreement's is replaced by the agreement's. If you do not know which collective agreement covers your job, ask the employer, since it has to be named in the written statement.
Trial period
The employer and employee can agree on a trial period (koeaika) at the start of employment. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's trial period page, the maximum is six months, and in a fixed-term contract the trial period can be at most half of the contract's length, up to six months.
During the trial period either party can end the employment without a notice period. The same page states that termination "cannot be based on discriminatory grounds or on grounds that defeat the purpose of the trial period."
The employer can extend the trial period by one month for every 30 calendar days of incapacity for work or family leave during the trial period, provided the employee is informed before the trial period ends.
Fixed-term and indefinite contracts
A contract with no end date is valid until further notice and can be terminated by either party with notice. A fixed-term contract made at the employer's initiative needs a justified reason, with one exception added in 2026.
Since 1 June 2026, the Employment Contracts Act has allowed a fixed-term contract of up to one year without a justified reason when it is the first employment relationship between the parties, or when at least five years have passed since the previous one ended. Such a contract can be terminated by either party once the employment has lasted at least six months, and before it ends the employer must explain whether the employment can continue. A fixed-term contract made in breach of the rules is treated as a contract of indefinite duration. The types of employment contracts guide compares the options.
Minimum age
A person aged 15 or over can make their own employment contract. A young person who turns 14 during the calendar year can make one with a guardian's consent. Younger children can work only with a permit from the occupational safety and health authority, as explained on the employment contract page.
Terms that cannot be agreed
Terms that conflict with the applicable collective agreement or with laws protecting employees are void, and the law or the agreement applies in their place. The rest of the contract remains valid. Examples include pay below the collective agreement rate, a notice period for the employee that is longer than the employer's, and giving up statutory annual holiday.
Changes to the contract
The contract is changed by agreement. The employer can change an essential term, such as pay, on its own only if it has grounds that would justify terminating the contract, and only after observing the notice period. Directing the work within the scope of the agreed job, such as reassigning similar tasks, is part of the employer's normal right to manage the work.
The law behind it
The Employment Contracts Act (työsopimuslaki 55/2001) governs employment contracts, available in English translation on Finlex. Chapter 1, section 4 covers the trial period, chapter 2, section 4 lists the principal terms, chapter 6 sets notice periods and chapter 7 the grounds for termination, covered in the guide to termination of an employment contract. For an overview of rights at work, see the employee rights guide.
The date that matters falls on the seventh day after your first working day: if you have no written statement of items 1 to 8 by then, the employer is in breach and you should ask for it in writing.
Frequently asked questions
Is a verbal employment contract valid in Finland?
A verbal contract is valid, since Finnish law accepts contracts made verbally, in writing or electronically. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends a written contract so the terms can be checked later (Työsuojelu, employment contract).
When does an employer have to give a written statement of employment terms?
Items such as the start date, pay, working hours and tasks are due within seven days of the start of work, and the remaining items within one month. Employees averaging under three hours a week over four successive weeks are outside the duty (Työsuojelu, terms and conditions).
How long can a trial period be in Finland?
Six months is the ceiling, and a fixed-term contract allows at most half its length. Each 30 calendar days of sickness or family leave lets the employer add one month, if you are told before the trial period ends (Työsuojelu, trial period).
Can an employer in Finland offer a fixed-term contract without a reason?
Since 1 June 2026 it can, for up to one year, when this is your first employment with that employer or five years have passed since the last one. Either side can end such a contract once it has lasted six months (Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment).
What happens if my contract pays less than the collective agreement?
That pay term is void, and the collective agreement's rate applies in its place. You can claim the difference from the employer (Työsuojelu, employment contract).
Sources
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Employment contract, https://www.tyosuojelu.fi/en/employment-relationship/employment-contract, checked 1 October 2026
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Terms and conditions of employment, https://www.tyosuojelu.fi/en/employment-relationship/employment-contract/terms-and-conditions, checked 1 October 2026
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Trial period, https://www.tyosuojelu.fi/en/employment-relationship/employment-contract/trial-period, checked 1 October 2026
- Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, Legislative changes to make fixed-term employment contracts more flexible to enter into force on 1 June 2026, https://tem.fi/en/-/legislative-changes-to-make-fixed-term-employment-contracts-more-flexible-to-enter-into-force-on-1-june-2026?languageId=fi_FI, checked 1 October 2026
- Finlex, Employment Contracts Act 55/2001 (English translation), https://www.finlex.fi/en/legislation/translations/2001/eng/55, checked 1 October 2026
Last updated: October 2026