Can I work at 14 in Finland?
Yes — light work, with capped hours. The Young Workers Act allows work at 14 (or in the calendar year you turn 14): light work that doesn't harm health, development or schooling. The caps are precise: during school holidays you may work at most half the holiday, up to 7 hours a day on holidays and 2 hours on school days. From 15, having completed the compulsory school stage, you may work more regularly and sign your own contract — for anyone younger, the guardian signs. Under 18, night work is banned (as a rule 22:00–06:00) along with the dangerous tasks listed in the statutory decree, and under-14s need a regional exemption. Age is no barrier to being paid: wages are due for work done.
📋 The rules
- At 14 or turning 14 that year: light work allowed — at most half of any school holiday, up to 7 h/day on holidays and 2 h on school days.
- From 15: you sign and terminate your own contract; under 15 the guardian signs, or the minor with the guardian's consent.
- Under-18 working hours are limited: no night work (generally banned 22–06), with longer rest periods than adults.
- Dangerous work (heavy machines, chemicals, risky lone working) is banned under 18 per the statutory list.
- Under 14, employment is possible only with a regional exemption (performances, filming).
🔓 Exceptions
- Light casual chores at home and in the neighbourhood (family tasks, occasional lawn-mowing) aren't employment relationships.
- School work-experience periods run on their own rules.
- A child under 14 can work as a performer or in filming only with a regional administrative agency exemption — otherwise employment isn't possible at all.
⚠️ Penalties
The liability sits with the employer, not the young worker. Breaching age and hour limits falls under occupational safety supervision: the authority can issue an instruction or a binding decision, and using a minor unlawfully can meet the elements of a working-hours protection offence. Wages are payable for work done in any case — being a minor, or having no written contract, is no reason to withhold pay, and a young worker can pursue the claim like anyone else. Heaviest of all is an accident in dangerous work banned to under-18s: that lands squarely on the employer.
📎 Sources
- Finlex · Young Workers Act 998/1993 →
- Occupational Safety Administration · Young employees →
- Finlex · Employment Contracts Act 55/2001 →
❓ Frequently asked questions
Can a 13-year-old deliver flyers?
As employment, only with a regional agency exemption, and that is used mainly for performing and filming. Someone turning 14 during the calendar year may already do light work under the normal rules.
Who signs a 14-year-old's contract?
The guardian — or the minor with the guardian's consent, so under 15 a guardian is always involved. From 15, the young worker signs the contract themselves and can also terminate it on their own.
Can a 16-year-old work evening shifts?
Into the evening yes, but night work is banned: work must generally fall between 06:00 and 22:00. Rest periods for under-18s are longer than for adults, so shifts have to be planned with more slack.
What must a summer job pay?
At least the collective-agreement wage, often the youth or trainee scale (typically 70–90% of the lowest table wage). Without a collective agreement, a customary reasonable wage is paid.
How many hours can a 14-year-old work in the holidays?
At most 7 hours a day, and work may fill only half of any school holiday — the rest must stay free. On school days the ceiling is 2 hours, and the work may not harm schooling, health or development.
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