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Finland: why confirm a former employee's job?

Every Finnish employer must, on request, certify how long a job lasted and the nature of the duties, for up to ten years after it ends. Confirming the same facts takes a minute and helps the person into their next job. certo asks on their behalf, with their explicit consent.

Law as of 26 October 2026 · Työsopimuslaki (55/2001), consolidated text as amended up to Act 412/2026, and Laki yksityisyyden suojasta työelämässä (759/2004), as amended up to Act 945/2025

In short

  • The facts are already on paper. When the employment ends, the employee is entitled on request to a written certificate from the employer of how long it lasted and the nature of the duties (Employment Contracts Act, chapter 6, section 7). Those are the facts we ask about.
  • The duty lasts ten years. The employer must give the certificate if it is asked for within ten years of the end of the employment (the same section), so your records are likely to hold these facts.
  • It helps the person who worked for you. A record confirmed by a former employer is what the next employer trusts. Answering takes about a minute and needs no account.
  • certo asks on their behalf, with their explicit consent. The Act on the Protection of Privacy in Working Life lets an employer collect data about an employee or candidate from others with their consent (section 4), and the GDPR lets you disclose it on that consent. The person started this check themselves, for these facts and no others.
  • You do not have to answer. Answering certo is voluntary. Declining is fine.

The Employment Contracts Act

Työsopimuslaki (55/2001). Quoted from the official consolidated text on Finlex. Finnish and Swedish are both official languages of the Act.

Chapter 6, section 7: the employment certificate

Työsuhteen päättyessä työntekijällä on oikeus saada pyynnöstään työnantajalta kirjallinen todistus työsuhteen kestosta ja työtehtävien laadusta. Työntekijän nimenomaisesta pyynnöstä todistuksessa on lisäksi mainittava työsuhteen päättymisen syy sekä arvio työntekijän työtaidosta ja käytöksestä. Työtodistuksesta ei saa ilmetä muuta kuin mitä sen sanamuodosta käy ilmi.

In English: when the employment ends, the employee is entitled on request to a written certificate from the employer of how long the employment lasted and the nature of the duties. Only at the employee's express request does it also state why the employment ended and assess the employee's skills and conduct. The certificate must convey nothing beyond what its wording says. We ask only for the first two facts, never the reason for leaving or an assessment, and the page has no field for anything between the lines.

The same section: ten years

Työnantajalla on velvollisuus antaa työntekijälle työtodistus, jos sitä pyydetään 10 vuoden kuluessa työsuhteen päättymisestä.

In English: the employer must give the certificate if it is asked for within ten years of the end of the employment, so your records are likely to hold these facts.

Personal data

The GDPR applies directly in Finland; the Data Protection Act (tietosuojalaki, 1050/2018) supplements it, and the Act on the Protection of Privacy in Working Life (759/2004) adds rules for employers. That Act applies, where relevant, to job applicants too (section 2).

Section 4: data from others only with consent

Työnantajan on kerättävä työntekijää koskevat henkilötiedot ensi sijassa työntekijältä itseltään. Jos työnantaja kerää henkilötietoja muualta kuin työntekijältä itseltään, työntekijältä on hankittava suostumus tietojen keräämiseen.

In English: an employer must collect personal data about an employee primarily from the employee. If it collects them from elsewhere, it must obtain the employee's consent. An employer that reads the person's certo passport receives your answer with exactly that consent.

Section 3: consent does not widen what is needed

Tarpeellisuusvaatimuksesta ei voida poiketa työntekijän suostumuksella.

In English: consent cannot override the requirement that the data be necessary. That is why certo asks only for dates and the job title, the facts a hiring decision needs.

  • Art. 6(1)(a), consent. The legal basis for your answer.
  • Art. 7(1), proof of consent. certo records which account asked, when, and for which facts. Write to support@certo.bio and we send you the record for your request.
  • Art. 5(1)(c), data minimisation. You confirm or leave unticked only the facts listed. Add nothing else: anything beyond them is not covered by the person's consent.

What this means for your answer

  • Tick only what your HR, payroll or personnel records show.
  • Not sure it is the same person? Press "We can't find a matching record". Never confirm a record you are not sure is theirs.
  • Your policy is not to answer? Press "We do not answer these requests". The record shows your organisation declined, and nobody else there is asked.

Sources

This page is not legal advice. It reflects the law as it stood on 26 October 2026.