Who can join PAM?

Join PAM if you work in the private service sector or if you are studying for a service sector occupation. 

You can join PAM if:

• you work in a private service sector;
• you are a supervisor in a service sector;
• you are studying for a service sector occupation;
• you are a self-employed person or entrepreneur.

Join here.

You cannot join PAM if:

you are unemployed, laid off, on parental leave or on some other leave during which you are not receiving any earnings from employment.

Entre­preneurial members

PAM’s entrepreneurial membership is open to self-employed people and entrepreneurs. You pay your PAM membership fees for your earnings that are used as the basis for your pension insurance premiums.

Self-employed people and entrepreneurs cannot be members of the Service Union United Unemployment Fund.

Barriers to membership for entrepreneurs

A person is considered to be an entrepreneur

• if he/she is obliged to take out insurance under the Self-Employed Persons’ Pension Act (YEL, 1272/2006) or the Farmers’ Pension Act (MYEL, 1280/2006).
• Any person covered by another statutory pension scheme is also considered to be an entrepreneur,
  • when he/she works in a leading position in a company where he/she owns at least 15% or his/her family members
  • or he/she together with the family members own at least 30% of the share capital (voting rights).
  • Furthermore, a person will be recognized as an entrepreneur when he/she works in a non-leadership position in a limited liability company where he/she or his/her family members or he/she together with the family members own at least 50% of the share capital or the voting rights carried by the shares, or has otherwise obtained equivalent control of the company.
  • Family members of an active partner in a limited partnership (Finnish ‘ky’) working for the company are considered to be entrepreneurs. The same also applies to family members of a sole proprietor.

This means that if you own shares in your employer company as specified above, you are, as a general rule, considered to be an entrepreneur in terms of unemployment security. As a result, you are not necessarily entitled to receive unemployment allowance from a union unemployment fund.

For more information on the unemployment security of entrepreneurs and their family members, please contact the Unemployment Fund for Entrepreneurs and the Self-Employed. 

‘Leading position’ refers to managing directors, board members or similar.

‘Family member’ refers to married spouses or common-law partners as well as the entrepreneur’s direct descendant or ascendant relatives (children, parents) living in the same household.