Summer Jobs for Teens in Israel: What Employers and Young Workers Must Know

Summer brings many teenagers the chance to earn money and gain experience, but Israeli law treats minors as a protected group with strict rules. The article, based on advice from labor lawyers Itid Eiges of N. Feinberg & Co. and Gideon Rubin of Gideon Rubin & Co., explains the main limits on hiring, working hours, pay, breaks and documentation for young workers.

Under the Youth Employment Law, the minimum age for regular employment is 15. During an official school vacation such as the summer break, a 14-year-old may be employed only in light work that does not harm health or development. Dangerous jobs, including work with hazardous equipment, construction, work at heights and certain public performances, are prohibited, and in some cases even 15-year-olds cannot do them.

Teenagers may not work overtime or on their weekly rest day. A workday may be 8 or 9 hours depending on age and conditions, weekly work is capped at 40 hours, and the day before a rest day or holiday may not exceed 7 hours. Night work is generally banned, though during school vacation an employer may keep a 16 to 18-year-old on duty until 1:00 a.m. if there is no school the next day, and if work ends after 11:00 p.m. the employer must arrange a ride home.

Outside the summer vacation, only a 15-year-old may be employed, and a child subject to compulsory education may not work during school hours unless, for example, he or she is an apprentice. Before starting work, the employer must ensure a medical exam and keep the certificate, at no cost to the teen. Teen wages are a percentage of the national minimum wage, currently 6,443.85 shekels, meaning 4,510.7 shekels for under 16s, 5,348.4 shekels for ages 16 to 17, and 3,866.31 shekels for apprentices.

The article says teens must be paid from the first hour, including training or trial periods, and are entitled to vacation, travel reimbursement, sick pay, holiday pay, severance-related notice rules and other labor rights. They also receive 18 calendar days of annual leave per year, though employers do not have to provide pension insurance. After six hours of work, a teen must get a 45-minute break, at least 30 minutes of it continuous, and if the teen must stay at the workplace during the break, that time must be paid. Employers must issue a detailed payslip listing identity, hours, gross pay, deductions and net pay, including the teen’s age-based minimum wage.