Määräaikaisen

Määräaikainen is a Finnish term that refers to something with a fixed term. In legal and employment contexts, määräaikainen työsuhde means an employment relationship that ends automatically on a specified date or when a defined task is completed. The form arises when the duration or scope of work is predetermined.

Use and purpose: Fixed-term contracts are used to cover seasonal work, substitution for an employee on leave, temporary increases in workload, or delivery of a specific project. The contract should state the term or event that ends it, and it may be part of a broader workforce planning strategy.

Grounds and justification: The use of fixed-term contracts requires a legitimate reason; they are not intended to replace permanent employment indefinitely. If there is no justified reason for continuing after previous fixed-term arrangements, the employee may be entitled to a toistaiseksi voimassa oleva työsuhde (open-ended, permanent), depending on national law and applicable collective agreements.

Duration, renewal and conversion: Fixed-term contracts can be renewed or extended, but repeated use or long total duration without a legitimate basis can lead to a conversion to an open-ended contract under law and agreements. Some sectors impose limits on the total time or number of fixed-term contracts within a period, to discourage abuse.

Rights and obligations: Fixed-term employees generally have the same core rights as permanent employees, including pay, holidays, safety, and access to training, under the applicable law and collective agreements. When the term ends or the task is completed, the contract concludes, subject to any statutory or contractual notice requirements.

Grammatical note: In Finnish, määräaikaisen is the genitive/dative form of määräaikainen, used when describing a noun such as työsuhteen or sopimuksen term. The word appears in legal, administrative, and everyday language.