The Savonlinna region is an area of structural unemployment, in which a broad field of the intermediate labour market has developed. The City of Savonlinna employs approximately 250 long-term unemployed annually with a wage subsidy. 3.sector operators also employ several persons per year with wage subsidies. The city’s employment services have found that KELAN’s labour market support list repeats a group of the same people who are re-employing and re-employing only for paid support work either in the city or in sector 3. The pay subsidy period is not enough for all people to be a stepping stone towards an open labour market. During the wage subsidy period, there is a need for individual guidance and a thorough examination of the causes of obstacles to employment and the organisation of measures to address these causes. The importance of personal guidance and continuous support has also been recognised in previous projects. Savonlinna has been selected as a municipality pilot for employment. The project complements the objectives of the local employment experiment, one of which is to find permanent jobs in the open labour market. The employees of the Palmu project act as a co-worker of the local authority pilot as the work coach of people in the most challenging position on the labour market. The project has been prepared as part of the preparation of the municipal experiment and its context is to be at the edge and next to the municipal experiment. The project operates independently, but in a close relationship with the municipal experiment and serves as a complementary service. The project will result in piloting the work coaching period from the pay subsidy period, which will continue to live in the employment services of the City of Savonlinna even after the municipal experiment and is a tool for employment service staff in the guidance of wage support workers. The COVID-19 pandemic that occurred in Finland during the spring and the ensuing state of emergency have had a negative impact on the employment situation of many. After the state of emergency, a multidisciplinary service needs assessment and rapid response to people’s service needs are needed.In connection with the municipal experiment, separate funding has been allocated to vocational education institutions to support the municipal experiment. We have negotiated with Samietu on the use of the work ability assessment method, e.g. during the work experiment, and on working on the training paths that flow from it to customers. This path is also possible for the customers of the PALMU project. The work force is assessed and the remaining work capacity is strengthened. Training paths will be built to support the remaining work capacity.