Statistics on sickness allowance
Producer
Kela - The Social Insurance Institution of Finland
Description
All residents of Finland are insured under the Health Insurance Act. Provided they meet the qualifying criteria, they are entitled to sickness allowance as compensation for loss of income resulting from short-term incapacity for work. The statistics on sickness allowances describe the economic security arrangements for employees and self-employed people during unemployment. They examine allowance recipients and expenditures from a variety of perspectives. With certain qualifications, they also describe disease prevalence in the working-age population. Because of the application of a waiting period, only periods of illness exceeding ten days are included in the data.
Data content
Recipient of sickness allowance, new spells of sickness allowance, day for which sickness allowance is paid and the amount of the allowance in EUR.
Classifications used
Type of benefit (sickness allowance, partial sickness allowance, sickness allowance payable under the Self-Employed Persons' Pensions Act, other sickness allowances), disease causing incapacity for work (ICD-10), occupation and position (occupation classified according to the Nordic Classification of Occupations, with additions by Kela), general regional classifications and general demographic classifications.
Data collection methods and data sources
Decisions on applications for sickness allowance are issued both by Kela's local offices and by workplace funds (the latter only in respect of applications filed by fund members). The processing system for the benefits produces an individual-level benefit database, which forms the basis for the statistical files.
Updating frequency
Updated monthly, quarterly and once per calendar year with data on sickness allowances paid during the relevant period.
Time of completion or release
The monthly statistics are published within three weeks and the quarterly statistics within a month of the statistical reference period. The annual statistics are published in their entirety by the middle of August following the end of the statistical reference year.
Time series
Statistics on sickness allowances have been compiled since 1964, when the National Health Insurance scheme was created. The effect of legislative amendments on eligibility conditions and rates should be noted when making year-to-year comparisons.
Keywords
Social security, health insurance, sickness allowance, prevalence of disease.
Contact information
tilastot (at) kela.fi
Updated 05/29/13