Information package: Vocational rehabilitation for young persons
Vocational rehabilitation for young persons is one of the types of rehabilitation provided by Kela. This information package presents research findings and statistical data about vocational rehabilitation services for young persons. At the end of the text, there are links to publications and writings related to vocational rehabilitation for young persons.
Kela evaluates on an ongoing basis the ability of young persons to access vocational rehabilitation and investigates the impact of various changes made in the rehabilitation system.
A a legislative amendment amendment enacted on 1 January 2019 has improved access for young people to vocational rehabilitation services. Under the amendment, young persons between 16 and 29 whose functional status is significantly decreased and who are found to need rehabilitation can get vocational rehabilitation without a formal diagnosis.
This brief overview focuses on young persons who received vocational rehabilitation services and rehabilitation allowance payments under a provision of the 2019 legislative amendment that lifted the requirement of having a formal diagnosis to qualify for rehabilitation.
Vocational rehabilitation can help young persons move forward with their lives
Vocational rehabilitation services for young persons are aimed at supporting and promoting their ability to function, cope with life events, study and find employment. A cash rehabilitation allowance provides economic security for the duration of rehabilitation.
Vocational rehabilitation services for young persons include
- NUOTTI coaching
- vocational rehabilitation assessment
- vocational rehabilitation supporting the integration into work
- work try-outs
Recipients of vocational rehabilitation services for young persons in 2019– 2022
The number of young people receiving vocational rehabilitation services for young persons has risen considerably since the beginning of 2019. The number of recipients grew nearly fourfold from 2019 to 2022, increasing from a little over 2,600 to nearly 10,000.
| Year | Number of recipients of vocational rehabilitation services for young persons |
| 2019 | 2,619 |
| 2020 | 5,186 |
| 2021 | 8,406 |
| 2022 | 9,990 |
The share of men among the recipients has decreased. In 2019 and 2020, there were slightly more men than women among the recipients, while in 2021 and 2022 the situation was reversed.
| Year | Share of men among recipients of vocational rehabilitation services for young persons |
| 2019 | 54.0% |
| 2020 | 52.4% |
| 2021 | 49.3% |
| 2022 | 46.9% |
NUOTTI coaching is by far the most common vocational rehabilitation service for young persons, with the number of recipients rising from a little under 2,200 to more than 9,200 over the period 2019-2022. It is followed by vocational rehabilitation assessments (600 recipients in 2022) and vocational rehabilitation supporting the integration into work (a little under 500 recipients in 2022). Twenty-one young persons participated in a training try-out in 2022.
From 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2022, more than 16,000 young persons received vocational rehabilitation services. The most common form of rehabilitation by far was NUOTTI coaching, with more than 15,000 recipients between January 2019 and December 2022. A total of more than 2,000 young persons underwent a vocational rehabilitation assessment, vocational rehabilitation supporting the integration into work, or a training try-out.
The number of young rehabilitation allowance recipients has increased alongside participation in vocational rehabilitation
The number of recipients of rehabilitation allowance on account of vocational rehabilitation for young persons more than tripled from a little over 2,300 in 2019 to over 8,300 in 2022. Over 80% of the recipients of vocational rehabilitation services for young persons also receive rehabilitation allowance. In 2022, receiving rehabilitation allowance on account of vocational rehabilitation for young persons was most common in the 20-24 age group and slightly more common among women than men.
| Year | Number of recipients of vocational rehabilitation services for young persons who also received rehabilitation allowance | Share of rehabilitation allowance recipients among recipients of rehabilitation services for young persons |
| 2019 | 2,342 | 84.0% |
| 2020 | 4,309 | 82.8% |
| 2021 | 6,966 | 82.7% |
| 2022 | 8,317 | 83.1% |
From the beginning of 2019 to the end of 2022, a total of nearly 130 million euros was spent on rehabilitation allowance payments to recipients of vocational rehabilitation services for young persons, divided among over 14,000 persons. The expenditure has continued to increase from one year to the next, but the rate of increase slowed down in 2022.
| Year | Rehabilitation allowances paid on account of rehabilitation services for young persons |
| 2019 | €8.56 mill. € |
| 2020 | €17.92 mill. € |
| 2021 | €31.3 mill. € |
| 2022 | €35.8 mill. € |
NUOTTI coaching was the largest category of rehabilitation allowance expenditure, totalling over 19.9 million euros in 2022. It was followed by vocational rehabilitation supporting the integration into work (over 820,000 euros), vocational rehabilitation assessments (a little over 640,000 euros) and training try-outs (under 7,000 euros). Some recipients have received two types of rehabilitation services at the same time.
Besides the expenditure on rehabilitation allowances, we can look at the cost of delivering rehabilitation services to clients. A total amount of 25.9 million euros was spent in 2022 on vocational rehabilitation services for young persons. A total of 23.6 million euros was spent on NUOTTI coaching, 11.2 million euros on vocational rehabilitation assessments, 11.6 million euros on vocational rehabilitation supporting the integration into work, and 11,000 euros on training try-outs.
Service utilisation differs according to region and age group
The utilisation of vocational rehabilitation services differs according to region. In 2022, the recipients accounted for 1.1% of the entire Finnish population aged 16-29.The largest share of recipients relative to the population of the same age was seen in Etelä-Pohjanmaa (2.2%) and Pohjois-Karjala (1.9%). In mainland Finland, Pohjanmaa (0.7%) and Uusimaa (0.8%) had the smallest shares of vocational rehabilitation recipients among young people.
Vocational rehabilitation services for young people are available to 16– 29-year-olds. The participation rate is highest in the age group 20 to 24, where NUOTTI coaching is the most common form of rehabilitation. Among those aged 25 and over, vocational rehabilitation supporting the integration into work and rehabilitation assessments are more common than in other age groups.
Kela also conducts longitudinal research related to vocational rehabilitation for young persons. The longitudinal research looks at the type of young people referred to vocational rehabilitation and how improved access to vocational rehabilitation is reflected in the take-up of various income security benefits and in the transition to benefits.
Marginalisation from the labour market and education is often associated with challenges related to health and functional capacity
Development of Kela benefits and services is prompted by concerns over marginalisation, which is described by such indicators as the NEET rate. It represents the proportion of young people in a specific age group who are not in employment, education, training or conscript service.
Behind marginalisation from the labour market and from education are often problems related to health and functional capacity, which is also reflected in the historical development of the take-up of income security benefits requiring a medical diagnosis, such as disability pensions.
In recent years, legislative changes have made access to vocational rehabilitation easier for young people, and more of them now receive Kela rehabilitation benefits. This, in turn, has impacted the development in disability pension recipiency among young persons. In 2021, the number of young persons in receipt of a disability pension decreased for the first time in years. The decreasing trend continued in 2022.
Recipiency of social assistance is extremely common among young persons receiving rehabilitation allowance on account of vocational rehabilitation
Vocational rehabilitation for young persons is aimed at young people between ages 16 and 29 who do not have a job, who have not been admitted to school, or who have interrupted their education or are at risk of doing so. In 2019, nearly all young persons received rehabilitation allowance at the minimum rate.
In 2019, 70% of young rehabilitation allowance recipients also received social assistance, a percentage much higher than in the total population of the same age (14%). Young persons in vocational rehabilitation often received social assistance for an extended period of time: 43% received assistance for six months or longer.
The changes in the legislation governing vocational rehabilitation for young persons was preceded by a rehabilitation development project focusing on the NEET population
In 2017, Kela was given the task of preparing a legislative amendment that would ease the access of young people under age 30 to vocational rehabilitation. As part of this work, Kela launched a development project focusing on rehabilitation services for the young NEET population.
It produced a new kind of vocational rehabilitation service called NUOTTI coaching, in which young people are assigned a personal coach who supports them in their daily lives. Further, the barriers to seeking rehabilitation were lowered by creating and testing a system whereby young people could apply to rehabilitation verbally or without having to obtain a formal medical diagnosis. Recommended guidelines for evaluating work capacity in conjunction with referrals to Kela vocational rehabilitation were drawn up as part of the project.
A total of 1,143 young persons qualified for NUOTTI coaching or a vocational rehabilitation assessment in 2018. The NEET project also encompassed an evaluation study carried out by the Häme University of Applied Sciences. Results from the evaluation study and from a Kela register study on the young clients who participated in the project were presented in a final seminar, which was organised at Kela on 27 August 2019.
