Employing young people: minimum age, working hours, pay — and what is prohibited

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A 16-year-old boy who closes a shift at a supermarket at 23:30 in the middle of the school year, a 15-year-old girl who works ten hours a day at a summer camp, a girl who is paid cash “in an envelope” without a payslip: each of these situations is a breach of the Youth Labor Law, 5713-1953, even if the young worker agreed and even if the parents knew. The Law sets rules that cannot be contracted out of: age, hours, night, pay and safety. In this article we explain them in the order in which the young worker and the employer meet them, from the day before work begins to the payslip. More guides on employee rights are gathered in the employment law hub.

From what age may you work?

The minimum age for employment is 15. Section 2A of the Law also allows the employment of a person aged 14, but only during an official school vacation, and only in light work that is not likely to harm their health and development. A 15-year-old to whom the Compulsory Education Law still applies is also employed only during an official school vacation, and not during the school year, except in the exceptions that the Law lists (apprenticeship, completion of compulsory education with the approval of the Ministry of Education, or an exemption from compulsory education) (section 2(b)). Performances and advertisements with children under 15 are possible only with a special permit from the Ministry of Labor and with the parents’ consent. From 16 to 18 the Law continues to apply in full: a young person to whom the Compulsory Education Law applies is not employed during school hours (section 2(b1)), and what changes is mainly the night hours, the permitted length of the working day and the minimum wage.

Before the first day: a medical certificate, an ID card and a notice of the terms of employment

• A medical certificate. A young worker may not be employed unless a family doctor has examined them and confirmed that they are fit for work (sections 11–12 of the Law and the Youth Labor Regulations (Medical Examinations)). For certain jobs, a certificate from an occupational physician is also required. The young worker presents the certificate to the employer, and the employer keeps it, or a copy of it, during the period of employment and for a year after it (section 16A). The old “work booklet” was abolished: the medical certificate and a copy of the ID card replace it.
• A copy of the ID card (teudat zehut) of the young worker, or of the parent with the appendix in which the young worker is registered, is kept by the employer.
• A written notice of the terms of employment under the Notice to Employee and Job Candidate (Terms of Employment and Screening and Hiring Procedures) Law, 5762-2002 (חוק הודעה לעובד ולמועמד לעבודה (תנאי עבודה והליכי מיון וקבלה לעבודה), תשס״ב-2002): for a young worker, within 7 days from the start of work (for an adult employee, 30 days). An employer who did not give the notice is exposed to compensation without proof of damage, and in a dispute about the terms the burden of proof shifts to the employer. What the notice must include is explained in the article on the employment contract.
• A payslip every month, as for every employee: what must appear on it.

Working hours, breaks and weekly rest

Section 20 of the Law provides: a young worker shall not be employed for more than eight hours a day and forty hours a week. For those aged 16 and over, in a workplace where a five-day work week is customary, up to nine hours a day are allowed, provided that they do not exceed 40 hours a week. On the day before the weekly rest or a holiday, up to seven hours. There is no overtime for youth: the limits are a ceiling, not a basis for overtime pay. After six hours of work, a break of at least 45 minutes must be given, including one continuous break of at least half an hour (section 22), and the weekly rest is 36 consecutive hours that include Saturday for a Jewish young worker, or another day according to their religion (section 21). The rules on hours for adult employees are explained in the article on overtime.

Night work: what changed in June 2024

Section 24 of the Law prohibits night work. For a child under 16, and for a young person aged 16 to 18 to whom the Compulsory Education Law applies, “night” means the hours between 20:00 and 08:00; for a young person to whom the Compulsory Education Law does not apply, the hours between 22:00 and 06:00. An amendment to the Law published on 4 June 2024 extended the exception for vacations: during an official school vacation, those aged 16–18 may be employed until 01:00, provided that there is no school the next day, and if the work ended after 23:00, the employer must take the young worker home immediately at the end of work, and no later than half an hour after it ends. Section 25 allows the Minister of Labor to give additional permits to certain sectors (agriculture, shift work), on condition of 14 hours of rest between one working day and the next. An employer who breaks the night rules is exposed to an administrative fine and to exemplary damages that the Labor Court may award to the young worker.

Minimum wage for youth, and a numerical example

The Minimum Wage Regulations (Working Youth and Apprentices), 5748-1987 (תקנות שכר מינימום (נוער עובד וחניכים), התשמ״ח-1987), made under the Minimum Wage Law, 5747-1987, set a minimum wage for youth as a percentage of the adult minimum wage: 70% up to age 16, 75% from 16 to 17, 83% from 17 to 18, and 60% for apprentices. The hourly wage is calculated from the monthly wage of the age group divided by 173. From 1 April 2026, when the adult minimum wage is NIS 6,443.85 a month, the hourly wage is NIS 26.07 up to age 16, NIS 27.94 at ages 16–17 and NIS 30.92 at ages 17–18. Travel expenses are paid in addition and are not part of the minimum wage. A young worker who received less than these amounts, or from whose wage the travel expenses were deducted, can start with checking employee rights against the employer.

Example: a 16-year-old girl who worked 18 days in August, 6 hours a day: 108 hours. Her minimum wage: 108 × 27.94 = NIS 3,017.52 gross, plus travel expenses for each working day. An employer who paid “a round NIS 25 an hour” owes a difference of NIS 2.94 an hour (NIS 317.52 a month), and is breaking the Minimum Wage Law, the breach of which is a criminal offense. The updates to the adult minimum wage are set out in the article on the minimum wage in Israel.

Which jobs are prohibited for youth?

The Youth Labor Regulations (Prohibited Work and Restricted Work), 5756-1995 (תקנות עבודת הנוער (עבודות אסורות ועבודות מוגבלות), התשנ״ו-1995) list jobs in which youth may not be employed at all, and jobs allowed only under conditions, including work with dangerous substances, dangerous machines, work at height and jobs that involve a health risk. Even in permitted work, the general safety duties apply to the employer, and an employer who employed a young worker in prohibited work bears criminal liability in addition to civil liability.

What happens to an employer who breaks the Law, and what the young worker and the parents can do

A breach of the Youth Labor Law is a criminal offense, and alongside it there are monetary sanctions under section 3 of the Increased Enforcement of Labor Laws Law, 5772-2011 (in their 2026 amounts): for employing a young worker under the permitted age, beyond the permitted hours or at night, NIS 21,050 for an individual employer that is not a business and NIS 42,100 for another employer, and double the sanction for a repeated breach within two years; for employment without a medical certificate, NIS 3,010 or NIS 6,010 respectively. In parallel, the young worker (and, on their behalf, the parents) has a civil claim in the Regional Labor Court for wage differences, breaks and rest that were not given, and compensation for not giving a notice of employment terms. An important procedural advantage: under section 10 of the Prescription Law, 5718-1958, the limitation period is not counted as long as the plaintiff is a minor, so a young worker can sue even years after turning 18. A complaint to the enforcement unit of the Ministry of Labor is a parallel route, and when wages were not paid, late payment of wages and a claim in the Labor Court are the way.

Frequently asked questions

Can a 14-year-old work during the summer vacation?

Yes, but only during an official school vacation, and only in light work that is not likely to harm their health and development (section 2A of the Youth Labor Law). A person aged 15 to whom the Compulsory Education Law still applies also cannot work during the school year, except during vacations or in the exceptions in the Law (section 2(b)). Before the first day, a 14-year-old also needs a medical certificate from the family doctor, and the employer must keep a copy of their ID card or of the parent’s ID card in which they are registered.

Until what time may a 16-year-old work in the summer?

During the school year, a young person aged 16–18 to whom the Compulsory Education Law applies is not employed between 20:00 and 08:00, and a young person to whom the Law does not apply, between 22:00 and 06:00. During an official school vacation, under an amendment to the Law published in June 2024, they may be employed until 01:00 at night, provided that there is no school the next day. If the work ended after 23:00, the employer must make sure the young worker is taken home immediately at the end of work, and no later than half an hour after it ends. Under 16, the prohibition is between 20:00 and 08:00 even during vacations.

How much does a 17-year-old earn per hour in 2026?

The minimum wage for youth is a percentage of the adult minimum wage according to age: 70% up to age 16, 75% at ages 16–17 and 83% at ages 17–18, divided by 173 hours a month. From 1 April 2026, when the adult minimum wage is NIS 6,443.85, a 17-year-old is entitled to NIS 30.92 an hour, a 16-year-old to NIS 27.94 and a 15-year-old to NIS 26.07. Travel expenses are paid in addition and are not part of the minimum wage.