Family caregiver leave usage remains low in Finland despite new provisions

The use of family caregiver leave appears to have been minimal since its introduction. The provision for leave was included in the Employment Contracts Act in 2022, allowing employees to take five workdays off to provide personal assistance or support to a close relative living in the same household. This leave can be used for various purposes, such as accompanying someone to medical appointments or caring for a seriously ill family member.

Previously, there were provisions for unpaid leave, but the recent amendments reinforced this right. Despite approximately 80,000 employment relationships in the public sector, only 124 individuals have utilized this leave in the past two years, with three-quarters of them being women. On average, around 2.5 days off have been taken.

Many labor unions have not addressed the topic since the approval of the caregiver leave. For example, assessments from the Service Union Alliance and the Education Union suggest that the leave has either not been used significantly or that no conflicts have arisen between employers and employees.

Matti Mäkelä, a coordinator from the Family Caregivers Association, cites several reasons for the low uptake, including a lack of awareness about the new rights and the existence of various work-life balance options at workplaces. He believes that there should be stronger rights connected to caregiver leave, advocating for compensation through Finland’s social insurance institution.

At a seminar in September focusing on palliative care, there was a clear interest among several political parties to address the existing challenges. A decision was made to prepare a legislative proposal to strengthen the rights of those caring for terminally ill individuals. The initiative aims to gather support from over a hundred parliament members by next spring. Mäkelä expresses hope that political will will lead to legal solutions and that work-life balance needs to be better aligned, as many workers are forced to consider part-time shifts or resignations if caregiving demands increase.