Teenagers Can Be Employed: What Conditions Parents and Employers Need to Meet

The employment of minors in Ukraine has a number of specific features, as the legislation establishes additional guarantees to protect the rights of children and teenagers in the field of labor. At the same time, in some cases, employers can officially employ persons who have not yet reached adulthood, but only by complying with the conditions defined by law.

One of the key requirements is obtaining the consent of one of the parents or a person who replaces them. In addition, the law takes into account the minor's age, the nature of the work, and the need to ensure safe working conditions that should not harm the health or education of the young person.

As explained by the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine, labor legislation provides a special legal status for minor employees. According to Article 187 of the Labor Code of Ukraine, persons under 18 years of age in labor relations have the same rights as adult employees. At the same time, in matters of occupational safety, working hours, granting vacations, and other working conditions, they enjoy additional guarantees and benefits established by law.

The general rule, established in Article 188 of the Labor Code, stipulates that employers are not allowed to hire persons under 16 years of age.

However, the law contains certain exceptions. For example, with the consent of one of the parents or a person who replaces them, a teenager who has reached 15 years of age can be officially employed.

Moreover, to prepare young people for future labor activities, the law allows involving students of general secondary education institutions, vocational and specialized educational institutions in work. This concerns only light work that does not pose a threat to health and does not interfere with education. Such employment is possible only during free time from studies after reaching 14 years of age and with the mandatory consent of one of the parents or a person who replaces them.

At the same time, the legislation sets special requirements for formalizing labor relations with minors. In particular, paragraph 5 of part one of Article 24 of the Labor Code defines that the employment contract with an employee under 18 years of age must be concluded in writing.

During martial law, the provisions of the Law of Ukraine dated March 15, 2022, No. 2136-IX "On the Organization of Labor Relations under Martial Law" also apply. According to part one of Article 2 of this Law, the parties may independently agree on the form of the employment contract. However, specialists recommend continuing to formalize labor relations with minors by written contract. This allows clearly defining the rights and obligations of the parties, work schedule, working conditions, and other important aspects, which is especially relevant for employees of this category.

Thus, Ukrainian legislation allows employing minors with parental consent from the age of 15, and in certain cases explicitly provided by law — even from 14 years old. At the same time, the employer is obliged to comply with special guarantees and requirements aimed at protecting the rights, health, and interests of young workers.

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