Implementation of automated decision-making

06.09.2023

The Unemployment Fund for Service Union United will implement automated decision-making during Fall 2023 as part of its processing of earnings-related allowance applications. The implementation decision will be published on the Fund’s website once it is approved by the Fund’s board.

The implementation of automated decision-making is based on changes to the Administrative Procedure Act and the Act on Information Management in Public Administration that came into effect on 1 May 2023. The reform allows automated decision-making in administrative matters that do not require invididual consideration. The legislative change enables the Unemployment Fund to increase its utilization of automation in application processing.

Automated decision-making streamlines application processing

The Unemployment Fund of Service Union United has previously utilized automation, for instance, in the preliminary processing of earnings-related applications. The legislative change gives the Fund the possibility to employ automation also in some of its decisions.

Automated decision-making enables the Fund to handle more efficiently certain routine but time-consuming processing tasks that do not require individual consideration. This frees up the Fund’s resources for customer service and the processing of other applications that require consideration.

From the perspective of a member, automated decision-making can result in shorter processing times for applications, smoother customer service and faster disbursement of benefits.

Automated decision-making is governed by the law

The new legislation sets clear boundaries for automated decision-making. Automated decisions cannot be made it they require any form of individual consideration. If individual consideration is necessary in the processing of the earnings-related allowance application, the decision will always be made by a Benefit Officer of the Unemployment Fund.

According to the law, every automated decision must state that the decision has been given automatically. All automated decisions are subject to appeal. Appeals regarding automated decisions are never resolved automatically.

The actual decisions on earnings-related allowance continue to be based on the Unemployment Security Act, regardless of whether the decision is made automatically or manually.

The reliability of the automated system has been rigorously tested

A fully reliable automated system has been a key part of the system’s development process. The Unemployment Fund of Service Union United has ensured the system’s reliability and accuracy through a multi-stage testing process. After this, all applications processed automatically are subjected to further manual checks by Benefit Officers.

After the implementation of automated decision-making, the Fund will continue to ensure the system’s reliability through an ongoing process of regular quality control and recurring manual checks.