Tekijä (05.11.2025 - Heikki Jokinen) Many people believe that Finnish public mid-week holidays with pay are based on legislation. Wrong. The only paid day off by law is Independence Day in December. All other public mid-week holidays (arkipyhä) with pay exist thanks to the collective agreements made by the trade unions.
During the course of a year, there are a maximum of eleven such public holidays that may take place on weekdays, not on the weekend. The number of such days varies from year to year.
Depending on the collective agreement, the mid-week public holiday is usually a free day. This is invariably the case for those with a monthly salary. They get their normal salary and a day off.
If one has to work during a mid-week holiday, he or she will get compensation, called arkipyhäkorvaus in Finnish. The collective agreement for the technology industry offers an increase of 100 per cent of average hourly earnings on the mid-week holidays defined in the agreement, with some exceptions.
It shall be paid as a statutory increase for Sunday work. In the chemical sector, some collective agreements raise pay by 200 per cent for some major holidays.
Those hourly-paid who miss working hours and wages due to a mid-week holiday - for example, if the company is closed on that very day - will usually get an eight-hour wage as compensation. This is calculated based on the previous average hourly earnings.
To get some of these compensations, one must normally have had an employment relation for at least one month. This is the case with the Industrial Union collective agreements for the technology sector. But the required time might be longer, too. In the Industrial Union collective agreements for the wood product sector the minimum length of employment is two months.
There are some further conditions with regard to the rules for mid-week holiday compensation in the Industrial Union collective agreements. These depend partly on the nature of work, like shift work. The shop steward will know the specific details concerning your workplace.
Public holidays in Finland
Public holidays naturally vary from country to country. Below are all the public holidays in Finland. 1 January: New Year's Day; 6 January: Epiphany; March-April: Easter. Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. Easter Sunday is no earlier than 22 March and no later than 25 April; 1 May: May Day; April-June: Ascension Thursday. 40 days after Easter Sunday. Always a Thursday, no earlier than 30 April and no later than 3 June.
May-June: Pentecost. Pentecost is 10 days after Ascension Day; no earlier than 10 May and no later than 13 June; June: Midsummer Day. Midsummer Day is celebrated on the Saturday following 19 June; Saturday between 31 October and 6 November: All Saints’ Day; 6 December: Finland’s Independence Day; 25 December: Christmas Day and 26 December: St. Stephen’s Day which is also known as Boxing Day.
In 2026, nine of the public holidays fall in the middle of the week. For many employees, these mid-week holidays are days off, mostly with pay. Or, if one must work on these days, the remuneration can be higher than on normal weekdays. However, all this depends on the collective agreement in your branch.
In some countries, laws prevent retail shops from being open on public holidays. Not in Finland.