Supported employment services
The task of supported employment is to develop and provide services that promote employment for residents in the most disadvantaged position in the labour market. Our goal is to empower the client and support their long-term integration into education or working life. Through project work, new approaches and models are developed and piloted, while also strengthening network cooperation.
Are you a client of Employment Services?
Please note that Employment Services (formerly the TE Office) are not the same as supported employment services. Employment Services assist all job seekers with matters related to job search and employment, while supported employment offers job opportunities and financial assistance from the City of Vaasa for those who need special support to enter the workforce.
If you are a client of Employment Services, you can ask your case official about the possibility of supported employment.
If you are not yet a client of Employment Services but have become unemployed, first register as a job seeker with Employment Services. More information and contact information for Employment Services (vaasa.fi)
Job opportunities and benefits
The City of Vaasa employs local residents who have been unemployed jobseekers for over 300 days, as well as those with partial work capacity, in various units. If you are interested in a position, please contact your local employment service officer.
Helppari initiative
You can enter Helppari activities for a work try-out. Helppari activities are also open for trainees from educational establishments.
Helppari helpers work at Vaasa’s Vuorikoti senior home, where they assist with caring for the elderly. Their tasks include escorting residents to the dining room, serving meals, and household chores.
Through the Helppari programme, clients can progress from a work try-out to a work placement in elderly care assistance. You can also get help and advice on starting your studies.
More information: Marika Porentola, tel. 040 128 3790 / marika.porentola(at)vaasa.fi
Elderly care assistant activities
Who is this service for?
Working as an elderly care assistant is an option for you if you have been unemployed for over a year or have partial work capacity.
No previous training or experience is required. We provide thorough onboarding for the job, and if there is a problem, support is always available.
What does the job involve?
As an elderly care assistant, you will be working with seniors living in their own homes in Vaasa or Vähäkyrö. Each assistant has their own clients whom they meet weekly.
The visit is planned according to the wishes of the client. During the visit, you might, for example, go for a walk or run errands, such as shopping. Sometimes the assistant might help the client with small household chores and meals.
The work is rewarding and no two days are the same. The overall aim is to provide meaningful activities, both for the assistant as the carer and for the elderly person as the client.
What are the working hours?
The working hours are 85% of the regular working hours in the position, totalling 32.5 hours per week. The work takes place on weekdays, mainly between 9 and 16. The duration of the employment contract varies.
How can I become an assistant?
Contact us to find out more:
Marika Porentola, tel. 040 128 3790 / marika.porentola(at)vaasa.fi
Summer Job Voucher
With the summer job voucher, a company, association, or cooperative employing fewer than 50 people can offer a summer job to a young person aged 15–29.
Summer job vouchers are issued by the City of Vaasa and can be applied for through the city’s online services (in Finnish or Swedish only).
The summer employee must be a resident of Vaasa, but the company using the voucher to hire them can be registered elsewhere.
Priority is given to employers applying for the summer job voucher for the first time However, employers who have received the voucher in previous years are still welcome to apply again!
To be eligible for the summer job voucher
- the employer receives no other support for the employment of the young person
- the employer has not had any layoffs or redundancies in the past 12 months
- the duration of the employment contract is at least 2 weeks or 60 hours
- the employment takes place between 1 May and 30 September
- the person to be employed is aged between 15 and 29 years, or is 14 years old and will turn 15 during the same year
- the gross salary must be at least the minimum wage specified in the collective labour agreement.
- the employment is governed by a written employment contract
- the young employee will be provided with a receipt for the salary they have received
- the employer appoints a person responsible for providing guidance and supervising the work
A summer job voucher may be issued to a company even if it has been forced to lay off workers due to an exceptional circumstance.
The value of the summer job voucher and the criteria for issuing it will be clarified in spring 2025 and published on this page.
The application period is from 1 April to 15 May 2025.
The summer job must take place between 1 May and 30 September 2025.
The application must be submitted via the city’s online services at https://asiointi.vaasa.fi (in Finnish or Swedish only)
The employer must identify themself in the service by their online banking credentials, a mobile ID, or a certification card.
Once the employment has ended, the documents required for payment must also be submitted via the city’s online services no later than 31 October 2025. These documents include:
- an employment contract signed by both parties
- a receipt for the gross salary and the hours worked
- a receipt for the payment made to the employee
Applications or receipts submitted through any means other than the online services will not be considered.
For more information:
tyollistamispalvelut@vaasa.fi
Submit a summer job voucher application and receipts: Online services (vaasa.fi, in Finnish or Swedish only)
The Vaasa employment supplement
The Vaasa employment supplement is a discretionary subsidy from the City of Vaasa to employers who hire an unemployed jobseeker from Vaasa. The employer can be an organisation or a company. The allowance is available for twelve (12) months, for a monthly amount of €350.
The employee must be registered in Vaasa. The employer’s domicile is not relevant
The condition for granting the supplement is that the person to be hired has been registered as a job seeker with Employment Services (formerly TE Services) for 12 months or longer prior to the start of the employment. The supplement must be applied for before the employment starts.
Conditions for the employer
The company receiving the Vaasa employment supplement must not have had any layoffs, redundancies, or tax debts in the last 12 months. The company’s details will be verified if necessary
Conditions for the employment
The employment can be either permanent or fixed-term, but it must last for at least 12 months. It can also be based on an apprenticeship contract, provided that its duration is at least 12 months.
The employee is paid the salary laid down in the collective agreement applicable to the position in question. If no applicable collective agreement exists, the employee must be paid a regular, fair wage.
The employer must ensure that even part-time workers earn at least €930 per month for the employment to count towards the employee’s work requirement.
Paying the Vaasa employment supplement to the employer
The employer is reimbursed retroactively, either on a monthly basis or as a lump sum. The supplement is paid into the bank account indicated by the employer in the application.
If the employment ends before 12 months have elapsed, the supplement is paid for the actual duration of the employment.
The application for the Vaasa employment supplement must be submitted via the City’s online services at https://asiointi.vaasa.fi (in Finnish or Swedish)
The employer must identify themself in the service by their online banking credentials, a mobile ID, or a certification card.
Once the employment has ended, the documents required for payment must also be submitted via the city’s online services. These documents include:
- an employment contract signed by both parties
- a receipt for the gross salary and the hours worked
- a receipt for the payment of wages to the employee.
More information:
tyollistamispalvelut@vaasa.fi
How to apply for the Vaasa employment supplement and submit the documents: Online services (vaasa.fi, in Finnish or Swedish only)
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SILTA-project
The SILTA-project, which has received significant ESF+ project funding, has been launched with the goal of building a strong, employment-driven, and skilled multidisciplinary employment network in the coastal region of Ostrobothnia. The project supports the TE2025 reform by developing employment services. The project period’s total budget is 1.7 million euros, and the project will run for three years. It is a group project where the main implementer is the City of Vaasa Employment Unit, and the co-implementers are Alma Adult Education Centre, Vamia, Yrkesakademin, and Vaasa Parish Union.
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Vaasa employment supplement
A company or association can receive support when it hires a person who has been unemployed and registered as a jobseeker with Employment Services for 12 months.
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Summer Job Voucher
A summer job voucher can be used to get a summer job for yourself or to offer a job to a young person looking for a summer job.
The application period in spring.