In June last year, a referendum in Switzerland failed to win support for Universal Basic Pay. However, the unemployed in Finland had a good beginning to 2017 when the government agency KELA, which is responsible for the country’s social benefits, announced a monthly unemployed benefit of 560 euros for 2,000 randomly selected citizens. The scheme is for a trial period of two years, beginning January 1.

The chosen individuals will not be required to submit any account of how they spend the money. They will continue to receive the money even if they get a job before the scheme ends.

According to official statistics, the average income in Finland is 3,500 euros per month. Finland has a population of 5.5 million, out of which about 213,000 people are without a job. The unemployment rate in November was 8.1%.

The purpose of the basic pay scheme is to ascertain whether free money could have an impact on the society’s incentive to work. In the U.S., it has been tried on a limited scale by Y Combinator in Oakland; the seed accelerator offered 100 residents up to $2,000 per month.