Youth and students
Are you a student of a vocational school, university of applied sciences or university? You can become a member of a professional community already during your studies by joining the trade union! Membership in JHL is free for full-time students. JHL’s youth activities are meant for everyone under 35.
What is the trade union and why should I belong to it?
The Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors JHL is there for you in working life. We negotiate your collective agreement, help with working life problems and provide support if you face unemployment. We are always on your side. By belonging to a trade union, you defend your status in working life. The more members we have, the more power we have to represent you in workplaces. Together we are stronger.
Which students can join JHL?
We are Finland’s most diverse trade union. Our members have about a thousand various occupations in six occupational sectors. It’s very likely that JHL is the right union for you, too!
Our six large occupational sectors are:
- social welfare and health care sector
- catering and cleaning sector
- pedagogy and education sector
- information and administration sector
- technology and transport sector
- security sector
To learn more about JHL-affiliated occupational sectors and occupations, visit the 1001 occupations section.
If you’re unsure whether JHL is the union for you, you can always contact our Membership Service and ask.

Useful membership benefits and engaging activities!
Student members get the same benefits as members who pay the ordinary membership fee. You can get educated at the union’s expense, attend interesting events and make use of our nearly never-ending membership benefits. Your own branch is your home base, and it also arranges leisure-time activities.
Do you work full time or in addition to studying? You can always contact us if you run into trouble in the workplace or if you’re wondering about some other situation. We are there for you in working life, our specialists are always ready to help.
We arrange diverse youth and student activities, both nationally and regionally. The course and event calendar (in Finnish) has more information about upcoming events.
JHL’s Nuorisofoorumi (Youth Forum) is a path for young people to make an impact in the trade union. Any JHL member under 35 can join Nuorisofoorumi. The forum members represent various occupational sectors, educational institutions, genders and localities.
This is what Nuorisofoorumi, NuFo in short, does:
- acts as a mouthpiece for young people in JHL
- plans events and activities for young JHL members
- voices its opinion on working life matters that concern young people
- makes it clear to the trade union’s decision makers what young people think
- functions as a link between the young members of the regions
- examines and further develops the organisation of JHL’s youth activities both regionally and nationally, with special attention being paid to young members’ possibilities of taking action and making a difference
Nuorisofoorumi gets together 6–8 times a year to discuss these themes. As a rule, the meetings take place around Finland on weekends.
How can I access Nuorisofoorumi?
The 20 Nuorisofoorumi members are appointed for two years at a time. The youth section of every region can appoint one representative. The rest of the representatives will be selected based on open-ended applications.
Keep an eye on the Finnish-speaking social media channels of JHL youth and students (Instagram and Facebook) for available positions in Nuorisofoorumi! If you’re interested in NuFo membership or you’d like to learn more about it, you can also send a message to nuoret@jhl.fi.
Members of Nuorisofoorumi in 2023–2024
Southern Finland
- Mohamud Nawal
- Piitulainen Emma
- Raunio Atte
- Kuismanen Lotta
- Koistinen Samira
- Mountassir Jasmin
- Kalpio Säde
Oulu area
- Körkkö Laura
Lapland
- Hyytinen Santtu
Eastern Finland
- Göös Laura
- Nevalainen Hanna-Mari
Southeast Finland
- Metsola Elli-Noora
- Riikonen Riikka
Southwest Finland
- Lain Päivi
Inner Finland
- Kuusipalo Saana
- Puura Joni
- Suominen Daniela
It’s great that you’re interested in making a difference and getting more involved in your trade union’s activities! We certainly welcome new people. We guarantee you’ll have lots of great experiences and make new friends!
You can become, say, a school agent, solidarity ambassador or an active in your own branch. Perhaps you’d like to join an occupational sector forum of your sector? There you can network with other star professionals of your sector and impact the union’s operations. If you’re under 35, you might be interested in Nuorisofoorumi (see the above information). Here you can check out all the ways in which to participate in JHL’s operations.
P.S. Student member, check with your teacher or another party responsible for your education whether you can earn study points for being a union active.
You can also use social media to find out about JHL’s activities and events for youth and students. Start following @jhlnuoret on Instagram and JHL nuoret ja opiskelijat on Facebook to see the latest info in your feed!
We organise activities around Finland to our young members. Various regions also have their own social media channels for youth. You should also start following your own region’s page! We’ve listed the pages here:
- Eastern Finland youth
- JHL Elaine (youth branch for Southern Finland)
- Kasaus – JHL’s youth branch for Southeast Finland
- Oulu-Kainuu JHL Youth
- Ostrobothnian youth
- JHL Youth action group for Helsinki Metropolitan Region
- Helsinki JHL Youth
- Satakunta JHL Youth
- Youth branch of Southwest Finland VARSA
Additional information about student membership
You can become JHL’s student member (membership fee €0) if you’re a full-time student. According to our interpretation, a full-time student
- receives full adult education allowance from Employment Fund OR
- is primarily at an educational institution during the day
- is entitled to a study grant
- is studying for a degree
- is not an apprenticeship or multiform-learning student
- does not have a day job.
Are you an apprenticeship student? Please join as an ordinary member.
When you join as our student member, you should also apply for membership in the unemployment fund, even if you’re not working yet. When you start working in addition to studying, or after your studies, your unemployment fund membership will be activated. Please notify our Membership Service when you start working.
Even if you’d forget to notify us about starting work, we can also activate your unemployment fund membership retroactively if you’ve applied for fund membership proactively. When you’ve also joined as an unemployment fund member during your studies, you will automatically become our ordinary member after your studies are over.
If you’re a full-time student, the trade union membership is free of charge for you. When you work and belong to the unemployment fund, you’ll only pay the unemployment fund membership fee, which is 0.30% of your gross income. When you’re no longer a student, you’ll become JHL’s ordinary member. You will then pay a shared fee for union and fund membership, 1% of your gross income.
On this page you can join both the union and unemployment fund. The joining form enables you to choose whether you want to join the union, unemployment fund or both.
If you’re a student and you only join the trade union but not the unemployment fund, remember to join the unemployment fund separately when you start work. In this case, unemployment fund membership cannot be activated retroactively, so please remember to join the fund as soon as you receive news of your first job!
Why is it important to join the unemployment fund?
As a member of the JHL Unemployment Fund you can get earnings-related daily allowance if you face unemployment. The allowance significantly exceeds Kela’s basic unemployment allowance. One prerequisite for being granted earnings-related daily unemployment allowance is that you’ve been an unemployment fund member for at least 26 weeks. That’s why you should join the fund immediately as you start working!
Learn more: What is the unemployment fund and why should I belong to it?
Please note! You can belong to several trade unions but only to one unemployment fund.
Notify us of your graduation date. After that date, your student membership will be converted into an ordinary membership. If necessary, you can change the date in myJHL or by contacting the Membership Service. After your studies are over, you will be sent a letter containing information about graduation and membership. Act in accordance with the letter’s instructions!
Is your contact information up to date? Update the information in myJHL!
After you’ve graduated, you must take action for your membership to remain valid:
- If you work, you have to pay the membership fee.
- If you have no earned income or the right to be exempted from paying the membership fee, you will pay the minimum membership fee.
- If you’re in some other situation, remember to notify us of your exemption from paying the membership fee.
As an ordinary member, you must pay the membership fee or notify of an exemption from paying the fee in order for your membership to remain valid.
And hey! If you’re not yet a member of the unemployment fund, join at the latest when you graduate and start working! In JHL, the shared fee for trade union and unemployment fund membership is 1% of gross income.
Membership fee calculator
If you are working, the JHL membership fee is only one per cent (1%) of your salary. The fee includes comprehensive protection of interests and unemployment security.
Questions?
If there’s anything you’re wondering about, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Questions are answered by union activities specialists Maria Helin and Anni Järvinen.
- Tanja Oksanen, 050 4471 672, tanja.oksanen@jhl.fi
- Southern and Southwest Finland: Laura Erkkonen, 050 3141 016, laura.erkkonen@jhl.fi
- Southern Finland: Jaana Niare, 050 328 2859, jaana.niare@jhl.fi
- Inner Finland and Ostrobothnia: Kalle Sumelles, 050 4479 806, kalle.sumelles@jhl.fi
- Eastern and Southeast Finland: Niina Ljungkvist, 050 4404 709, niina.ljungkvist@jhl.fi (on study leave until 31 May 2023)
- Lapland and Oulu area: Mari Ikonen, 050 4482 948, mari.ikonen@jhl.fi