The job alternation leave, part-time supplementary benefit and study leave system allow employees to promote their wellbeing at work, divide their work or take study leave.

Job alternation leave

The purpose of the job alternation leave is to promote employees’ wellbeing at work while also providing an unemployed jobseeker with the opportunity of gaining work experience through fixed-term employment. The employer benefits from the new competence that the new employee contributes to the working community. Agreement on the job alternation leave is made between the employer and the employee, and the employee may use the leave in whichever way they want to.

The precondition for the job alternation leave is that the employer makes a commitment to employ an unemployed jobseeker registered with an employment office as a substitute for the duration of the leave. The minimum duration is 90 and maximum duration 359 calendar days. The employee’s employment relationship is dormant during the leave. The substitute should primarily be a young or recently graduated unemployed jobseeker or a long-term unemployed person. The substitute need not be employed for the same duties as the person taking job alternation leave. The job alternation leave system was adopted permanently in 2010.

Part-time supplementary benefit

The objective of the part-time supplementary benefit system is to create employment opportunities for the unemployed but also to facilitate wellbeing at work among ageing employees. At their discretion and subject to appropriations available, employment offices may grant part-time supplementary benefit to offset the reduction in income for employees transferring voluntarily from full-time to part-time work. Such transfer must be agreed with the employer, and the employer must make a commitment to hire an unemployed jobseeker as a substitute. The part-time supplementary benefit amounts to approximately 50 % of the difference between the employee’s full-time and part-time pay.

Study leave

The objective of the study leave system is to improve the employed population’s opportunities for training and studies. The studies need not be related to the employer’s activities; instead, the employee may choose freely what to study.

The right to study leave applies to employees, civil servants and officials. All those whose full-time employment with the same employer has lasted at least one year in one or more periods have the right to take study leave for a maximum of two years over a period of five years. The leave can be taken in one or more periods. If the employment has lasted for less than a year but at least three months, the maximum period of study leave is five days.

Study leave is unpaid time off, unless otherwise separately agreed with the employer.