New rules on employing minors to take effect in September

TALLINN - Changes regulating the employment of minors in Estonia are to take effect on Sept. 1, the start of the academic year, to expand employment exceptions to more young people, as the age of compulsory education will increase from 17 to 18.

Under current law, compulsory schooling ends upon completion of basic education or at age 17, after which minors may perform all types of work that do not endanger their health. Starting Sept. 1, the rules will change. Employers will have to consider the extended compulsory education requirement, meaning participation in basic, secondary, or vocational education until the student completes secondary or vocational studies or turns 18.

This means that 17-year-olds will still be subject to compulsory education and may only perform light work, defined as work that is simple and does not require significant physical or mental effort, according to the Estonian Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce.

The current Employment Contracts Act allows 13- and 14-year-olds, as well as older minors subject to compulsory education, to work seven hours per day and 35 hours per week during school holidays. These time limits for 13- and 14-year-olds will remain unchanged.

However, under the amended act, working time limits for minors aged 15 and older who are still subject to compulsory education will change. As of Sept. 1, minors aged 15 and older may work up to eight hours per day and 40 hours over a seven-day period during school holidays.

Until the end of the summer break, the law allows for the use of cumulative working time arrangements for minors, provided that statutory working time limits are not exceeded. Although the current law prohibits overtime for minors, questions have arisen regarding whether cumulative working time arrangements could, in practice, lead to minors exceeding allowed full-time working hours.

To address this, the law will be amended to explicitly state that minors who have completed compulsory education may not exceed eight hours of work per day and 40 hours over a seven-day period under cumulative working time arrangements.