A Letter to a System That Never Saw Me

Experiences of unemployment and employment services can vary greatly, and behind every process or decision, there is a person navigating uncertainty, hope, and often frustration.

In this anonymous blog, a former volunteer shares a personal reflection on her experience with the employment system in Finland. Written as a letter, the text captures the emotional impact of feeling unseen, unheard, and disconnected from decision-making processes that shape one’s future.

While this is one individual experience, it highlights broader questions about communication, trust, and the importance of human connection within support systems. At Familia, we recognize how meaningful it is for individuals to feel heard and supported, especially during times of transition.

To whom it may concern - the one whose face I never saw.

​For days now this letter has been sitting in my mind, refusing to take form. I’m not one for writing about myself, least of all with the spirit of complaint; you wouldn’t know that about me. We never knew anything about each other. I think that’s a missed opportunity. This isn’t my first experience with an unemployment service, and perhaps I was merely fortunate before. Fortunate that my employment advisor had time to get to know me - she knew where I wanted to go, the things that held me back, the things that drove me forward. The joy she had for my successes was genuine; it felt like we had one goal and that was to get me employed. 

​And I understand why Helsinki’s unemployment services cannot deliver such a personal touch. Finland is dealing with an increase in unemployed people, and a decrease in job vacancies. 342,800 unemployed for 42,000 job vacancies1. Of course I am just going to be another number in a growing statistic - faceless and nameless. A task on your task list. 

So why is it that you can make decisions that impact me when you don’t even know what that impact is? When you don’t know who I am? How can I trust that you want what’s best for me? 

​You reject my proposals and your reasoning makes no sense. You refuse to explain. You tell me I can’t refute your decisions and that you won’t talk to me anymore until it’s too late to do anything about it. Your refusal to talk to me is what hurt me the most. I thought we were supposed to have one goal; I thought we were working together. You left me feeling like I was shouting into a void. That I didn’t matter. The truth is that you probably don’t even remember me anymore, but you’re still having an impact on my life.  

Anonymous