Your skills are your most important asset. You have invested years of education into them and gained experience through hard work. This is why you should be able to show off your entire experience – and also receive a fair wage. As your Union we will negotiate better conditions of employment and a general pay increase that ensures you can live on your salary.
Here at YKA we believe that work should be about life, instead of life being about work. Work must not burn out the workers. When the conditions of employment are reasonable, leisure time won’t only be about recovery, but instead you can enjoy it fully.
We offer a safety net for your career: you can get career guidance, legal services and financial security. We support our members at all stages of their careers – even when you need help finding a new job or when you are facing unemployment. We also help you stay ahead of changes: we offer our members high-quality training based on research, and coaching in how to manage artificial intelligence, digitalisation and the direction of your career.
YKA is building a working life for its members that fits life, and also includes breaks and transitions between jobs. Join in 2025 and use the code YKALAINEN to receive a 50-euro gift card after your first membership fee payment.
Note! The member recruitment campaign will be running till the end of 2025. The campaign benefit does not apply to student-priced memberships.
Join us with code YKALAINEN
It’s worth joining YKA while you’re still at university, because membership gives you access to numerous valuable benefits, workshops to increase your skills and knowledge, and a community for social science professionals.
Social Science Professionals, i.e. YKA, is the social sciences union for a new age. All those who have a bachelor’s or master’s degree from university or who are studying for one can apply for YKA membership. Those who have or are studying for some other kind of university degree and who work in the social sciences can also apply for membership.
You get access to our member benefits as soon as you have sent us your membership application. The Board makes the final decision on admitting new members at their monthly meetings.
Submit your application and join the community of social scientists!
As a member of YKA you have access to salary guidance, as well as legal advice on both professional and personal matters. Our lawyers are available Monday to Friday from 9 am till 3 pm.
We support our members at various stages of their working life. We offer tools and support for every step of your career, from personal career guidance to mentors, workshops and coaching.
Joining the Union means finding your people and making your voice heard. We look after our members in the Akava community, at negotiations and workplaces. We support our members’ networking e.g. through our local activities.
As a member you are entitled to unemployment benefits, a comprehensive insurance policy, various career services and workshops, and the benefits offered through Member+.
YKA’s membership fee is flexible to suit your situation. We offer various discounts on our membership. The membership fee is also tax-deductible. You can pay your membership fee in the way that is most convenient for you. Find out more about our membership fees.
Graduated member 342 €/year
Student member29 €/yearNo unemployment fund membership.
Student member 114 €/yearIncludes unemployment fund membership.
We improve the world of work for social science professionals. We offer our members support and partnership in all stages of their careers. You don’t need to be an expert on working life – we exist so that you can focus on your career, your studies or your personal life.
Collective advocacy work, a responsible working life and improving wellbeing at work are some examples of the issues we work with every day.
We are a community who welcomes everyone, from students to retired social scientists. Welcome aboard!
Our membership is made up of a large variety of people from different professional backgrounds. We know the opportunities and challenges that our members face on the job market. We will promote your interests within the Akava community, at negotiating tables and at places of work.
For our members, legal and salary guidance is only one phone call or email away. Our working life experts help our members with all matters relating to the world of work, whether they are going through salary negotiations or co-determination negotiations or dreaming of taking the next step in their career.
One thing is certain: these days the world of work is constantly changing. Employees are required to be able to adapt to change and to have different kinds of career skills. We want to ensure that our members have the skills and abilities to meet the changes and transitions which they may encounter in their careers.
Whether you are at the beginning of your career or you have been in the world of work for a while or a long time, we can offer you tools and sparring. Our services include personal career guidance and support for wellbeing at work, salary guidance, mentoring, and a variety of workshops and coaching.
Joining the Union means finding your people and strengthening your professional identity as a social scientist. YKA is the union that best represents social science professionals. We support out members’ networking e.g. through our local activities. At our events you get to meet and network with other social science professionals.
YKA and SYY (Social Science Students in Finland) are closely involved in influencing what kind of working life will be awaiting new experts in our field in the future.
We support our members in their studies and offer various services for members at the early stages of their careers. We can offer help with the salary recommendations for your first job, career guidance, maintaining your wellbeing during your studies and at work, not to forget our tailored workshops. We are your partner as you grow into a social science expert.
As a Union member you are also a member of the unemployment fund, and if you meet the criteria, this means that you can access earnings-related unemployment benefits if you find yourself unemployed.
Through your membership you will be insured in your spare time and during travel, and you will also get professional indemnity insurance and legal expenses insurance. Some insurance companies also offer discounts to Union members on their other insurance products.
YKA members can save money on their holidays. Our members have access to summer houses and timeshares owned by the Union at affordable prices. We also offer our members various hotel and cruise discounts through the Member+ service.
