This article was published at the Almost Eden blog.
Just in time for the summer vacation! Make sure your teenage kids who found a summer-time job are paid according to the law. Effective July 2011, the new minimum wages for youth are as follows:
apprentices = 14.22 shekels per hour
up to age 16 = 16.59 shekels per hour
up to age 17 = 17.77 shekels per hour
up to age 18 = 19.67 shekels per hour
from age 18 and up = 22.04 shekels per hour
There are special regulations in effect for employing youth:
- They can not be under 14 years old.
- They need to have an employment booklet, available for free from the government employment service (Sherut Hata’asuka). In order to get the booklet a youth needs to bring 2 passport pictures and a doctor’s note that he/she is healthy and fit to work.
- The maximum amount of hours that youth can be employed is 8 hours per day and not more than 40 hours per week. Overtime is not allowed ! Youth can not be employed on the weekly rest day (for Jews – Shabbat)
- After 6 hours of work, youth must be granted 45 minutes break, of which at least 30 minutes must be consecutively.
- Between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. the following day it is forbidden to employ youth under 16.
Between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following day it is forbidden to employ youth between age 16 and age 18, unless approved by special permission and even then not later than 11 p.m.
Requests for permits should be applied for by phone 03-734-7440 (Ministry of Industry, Trade and Employment) - The employer is required to keep a log of all hours worked by youth. If it is not done by a computer, electronic or manual time-clock, it needs to be signed daily by both the youth employee and the employer. Youth should be encouraged to keep a separate log of their hours as well.
- Travel expenses are mandatory for youth – up to 23.70 shekels per day.
- Training hours and preparatory meetings, as well as trial periods are all mandatory paid hours.
- It is totally forbidden to deduct money from youth’s salary for damages or fines.
- Employers are required (the same as with adult employees) to issue a notification of employment within 7 days from the start of employment to each youth employee.
