Working hours for young people
Do I
have special rights as a young worker?
The number of hours you can work and the
types of jobs you can do, depends on your age.
Young workers are people aged 14 to 18, who
work for an employer. As young workers are generally in full-time education,
they are protected by different employment laws than adults. This is to make
sure their work does not put their health or education at risk.
The working hours for young people are regulated by
the Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act 1996. The Act does not apply to children or young people who are
employed by a close relative.
How many hours can I work?
Employers
cannot employ children under 16 in regular full-time jobs. They can employ
children aged 14 and 15 years on light work as follows:
·
Children aged 14 or over can do light work during the school holidays where the hours do
not exceed 7 in any day or 35 in any week.
·
Children over 15 but under 16 can do light work up to 8 hours a week
during school term time.
·
Children under 16 must have at least 21 days off work during the summer holidays.
Children
aged 16 to 18 can work a maximum of 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week.
What breaks am I entitled to?
Workers
under 16 are entitled to 30 minutes rest break after every 4 hours of work and
14 consecutive hours off between shifts.
Workers
over 16 are entitled to a 30 minutes rest break for every 4.5 hours of work and
12 consecutive hours of between shifts.
Both
must have 2 days off a week.
Read more about Working hours for young people on
citizensinformation.ie, https://bit.ly/3OVMRWi
