Restrictions are imposed on the working hours of young workers.

The Young Workers’ Act provides for working hours, overtime, distribution of working hours, breaks, daily rest periods and weekly rest periods.

The restrictions on working hours may only be derogated from on an exemption granted by the occupational safety and health division of a Regional State Administrative Agency on the grounds that this is essential for the young worker’s professional development or for some other weighty reason. However, the occupational safety and health authorities may never grant an exemption to allow the interruption of daily rest periods or to allow the working of more than 120 hours of overtime per year.

Special attention should be paid to scheduling a young worker’s working hours

The regular working hours of a person who has reached the age of 15 years may be no more than 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week; the working hours must fall between 06.00 and 22.00. In the case of work in a two-shift system related to vocational education, a shift may be extended until midnight.

The working hours of a young worker under the age of 15 may be no more than 7 hours per day and 35 hours per week; the working hours must fall between 08.00 and 20.00 or, if there are weighty reasons concerning the organisation of work, between 06.00 and 20.00.

In household work, however, working hours may extend to 23.00 with the young worker’s consent. ‘Household work’ is here understood to mean work performed in the employer’s home.

During the school year, the daily working hours of an employee completing the basic education syllabus may not exceed seven hours on days off from school and two hours on school days. The length of the school day and working hours must not exceed eight hours and the weekly working hours may not exceed 12 hours.

No overtime for under-15s

A young worker aged 15 or above may work overtime to a maximum of 80 hours per calendar year. Overtime may only be assigned with the young worker’s consent. However, the working hours of a young worker may never exceed 9 hours per day or 48 hours per week. A young worker under the age of 15 may not be assigned to work overtime.

Rest periods restrict working hours. Young workers aged 15 or older and young workers under 15 must be given an uninterrupted rest period of at least 12 hours or at least 14 hours per day, respectively. The employer must also grant an uninterrupted weekly rest period of at least 38 hours. Daily and weekly rest periods must without exception be uninterrupted.

During the working day, the employer must allow young workers a meal break of 30 minutes if the working hours per day are more than 4 hours 30 minutes. Young workers are allowed to leave the workplace during their breaks. If there are provisions in the applicable collective agreement differing from those in the Employment Contracts Act, the employer may apply the collective agreement to young workers too.

 

	Young workers who have reached the age of 14 or will reach it in the course of the calendar year	Young workers aged 15 to 17
Regular working hours	7 h/day 35 h/week	8 h/day 40 h/week
Working hours of an employee completing the basic education syllabus during the school year	on free days, 7 h / day on school days, 2 h / day weekly working hours no more than 12 h / week combined length of school attendance and working hours no more than 8 h / day	on free days, 7 h / day on school days, 2 h / day weekly working hours no more than 12 h / week combined length of school attendance and working hours no more than 8 h / day
Overtime	Prohibited	no more than 80 h / year a further 40 h / year possible on an exemption daily working hours no more than 9 h / day weekly working hours no more than 48 h / week
Distribution of working hours	between 08.00 and 20.00 between 06.00 and 20.00 for weighty reasons until 23.00 in household work	between 06.00 and 20.00 until 23.00 in household work until midnight in two-shift work related to vocational education
Meal breaks	30 min if working hours exceed 4 h 30 min / day	30 min if working hours exceed 4 h 30 min / day
Uninterrupted daily rest period	14 h/day	12 h/day
Uninterrupted weekly rest period	38 h/week	38 h/week