Finland strengthens protections for employees with family responsibilities

At a glance

• New protection for employees on fixed-term contracts who are pregnant, have recently given birth, or take family leave take effect from 1 October 2026.
• Employers must automatically provide written reasons when a protected employee's fixed-term employment ends or is not renewed.
• Parenthood and family responsibilities are expressly added as prohibited grounds of discrimination.
• Anti-discrimination protections are clarified to apply to fixed-term employment relationships.
• Compensation liability is extended to companies using temporary agency workers.

From 1 October 2026, Finnish employers must provide a written statement explaining the expiry or non-renewal of a fixed-term employment contract where the employee has notified the employer of a pregnancy or childbirth, or has taken (or announced an intention to take) statutory family leave.

The statement must be provided automatically and no later than the end of the employment relationship.

At the same time, amendments to equality legislation expressly prohibit discrimination based on parenthood and family responsibilities, and clarify that the prohibition applies to fixed-term employment relationships.

Furthermore, liability to pay compensation for violating the prohibition of discrimination is extended to companies that use temporary agency workers.