Finland has embarked on a social experiment, handing out a guaranteed €560 per month to 2,000 random unemployed citizens - without factoring in their savings, access to funds, or any other data.

These individuals will be given these tax-free payments for two years regardless of their employment status and they are not required to report how they spend the money.

The country is testing "universal basic income" - it will also allow people who are not working to engage in casual, part time, or freelance work without losing social welfare payments.

2,000 random unemployed Finns will be told that they are getting these guaranteed payments / Giphy 

The state hopes that this will counter the dilemma that some individuals face when they have an opportunity to earn - but do not want to lose out on unemployment benefits.

"Will this lead them to boldly experiment with different kinds of jobs? Or, as some critics claim, make them lazier with the knowledge of getting a basic income without doing anything?" Olli Kangas from Finland's social insurance agency wondered.

Finland thinks that in the long term giving flat-rate social payments to all adults could overhaul the country's complex welfare system - it also hopes that it will encourage more people to take risks and to start their own businesses.

The agency added that it is currently dealing with 40 different social benefit packages and it wants to streamline this system.

Unemployment in Finland has hovered just above 8% for the past year.

Canada, Iceland, and The Netherlands have considered similar programmes.