The Government of Prime Minister Juha Sipilä is testing a guaranteed basic income in Finland during 2017 and 2018. A working group of researchers from a range of organizations under the project leadership of Kela explored ways in which to carry out the basic income experiment.

The basic income experiment was launched on 1 January 2017. During the experiment, a total of 2,000 unemployed persons between 25 and 58 years of age will receive a monthly payment of €560, unconditionally and without means testing. The experiment will run for two years.

The purpose of the basic income experiment is to find ways to reshape the social security system in response to changes in the labour market. The experiment also explores how to make the system more empowering and more effective in terms of providing incentives for work. Further objectives include the reduction of bureaucracy and the streamlining the complicated system for providing welfare benefits.

Source and graphics: www.kela.fi