Can I work two jobs at the same time?
You can — and the hours are generally not added together. This surprises a great many people: for an adult employee, working time with different employers is not aggregated when applying the normal working-time ceiling. Each job separately must respect 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week, but two jobs do not merge into a single 40-hour limit. An employer may restrict a second job only so far as necessary to protect legitimate interests — for instance, where the second job adversely affects your performance. And in a dispute the burden of proof is on the employer, not on you: they must show the restriction is justified.
📋 The rules
- You may contract with several employers
- For adults, hours are not aggregated across employers
- Each job separately: 8 h a day, 40 h a week
- Restriction only for legitimate interests
- The burden of proof lies on the employer
🔓 Exceptions
- For employees under 18, hours with different employers must be added together
- A second job may be barred where a genuine conflict of interest arises
- Certain professions and public offices have their own incompatibility rules
⚠️ Penalties & fines
There is no penalty on the employee simply for holding a second job. But an unjustified restriction can be challenged, and a general Labour Law breach costs €35–350 for a natural person and €70–1,100 for a legal entity. Beware the EU 48-hour argument: general explanations often claim the 48-hour average maximum must always be calculated across every employer. The published Latvian position is different: for an adult employee, working time with separate employers is not aggregated. The explicit aggregation exception applies to people under 18. But if a second job harms your main duties or creates a conflict of interest, disciplinary or contractual consequences can follow — there the restriction is justified.
📎 Official sources
❓ Frequently asked
Do hours from both jobs add up?
For an adult employee, generally not. The published position of the labour inspectorate is that working time with separate employers is not aggregated when applying the normal working-time ceiling.
Can my employer forbid a second job?
Only so far as necessary to protect legitimate interests — for example, where the second job adversely affects the performance of your duties or creates a genuine conflict of interest.
Who must prove the restriction is justified?
The employer, not you. In a dispute it falls to them to demonstrate that the restriction is justified by legitimate and protectable interests. That was a significant improvement made in 2017.
Is it different for young workers?
Yes. For employees under 18, hours worked for different employers must be added together and must stay within the statutory youth working-time limits. That is an express exception.
Can I be penalised for a second job?
Not for the second job itself. But breaching a justified contractual restriction, particularly where it damages your main job, can lead to disciplinary or contractual consequences.
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