For employers – how to hire a young person

Traineeships related to studies

Introductory work placements (TETs) for primary school student’s, training contracts for students in vocational schools and internships at universities of applied sciences are part of the studies in question. The internship period for a student at a university of applied sciences can be carried out either with or without an employment relationship. However, during TET or training contracts, you are not employed, which means that you are not paid for the duration of the contract.

A young person studying at a vocational school learns part of the skills required for the degree through a training contract in the workplace and in a real working environment. A training contract is concluded between the school and the employer. The employer must appoint a workplace tutor for the student. During the training contract, skills are acquired in a planned and guided way. The workplace counsellor assesses the young person’s skills in relation to the objectives of the qualification.

Work trial

Unemployed young people may be offered a work trial in a company. The purpose of a work trial is to give the young person a chance to see if the field or occupation they are trying out is suitable for them. The work experience can last up to six months with the same employer. More information on work trials can be found on the website of the TE services.

Get to Know Working Life and Earn Money – traineeship programme

For the very youngest, the opportunity to get their first taste of a job in the commercial sector has been developed through the “Get to Know Working Life and Earn Money” traineeship, the terms of which have been agreed between the Finnish Commerce Federation and the Service Union United PAM. This traineeship is available from the age of 14 or during the calendar year in which the young person turns 14. The young person must be in primary school, 10th grade, in preparatory training for vocational school or in upper secondary school. The traineeship lasts for two weeks between June and August and will cost €395 in 2023. For members, you can find out more about this by contacting the Finnish Commerce Federation’s advisory service.

Apprenticeship contract

An employer can employ a worker to complete a vocational qualification in its sector. A young person in an apprenticeship will complete around 80% of the qualification in the workplace. In addition to this, the young person will have days where they attend class at their educational institution. The employer concludes an employment contract with the young person and pays him or her a salary in accordance with the Collective Agreement. The employer may be paid a training allowance in return. Practices for paying the training allowance vary.

A young worker can be employed by a company either as an employee or, in some cases, as an unpaid trainee. The rights and obligations of the employer are slightly different in these cases.

A young person hired in an employment relationship may be paid a school student’s salary or a trainee’s salary under the Collective Agreement for Commerce if the employee meets the conditions for the school student’s salary or the trainee’s salary.

The school student’s salary is 70% of the salary for the first year of the lowest salary bracket in each occupation and may be paid to a pupil in a primary school, upper secondary school or vocational school for a maximum total of two months.

The trainee salary is 85% of the first year’s salary for the specified occupations and salary brackets. The trainee salary may be paid until one year of experience in the occupation concerned has been gained, or for 10 months in cases where the worker has first been paid the school student’s salary for two months. A graduate with a vocational qualification related to the job shall be paid the salary of an employee in the third year of the salary table.

The amount of salary paid to a young person depends on his or her professional experience and the nature of his or her duties and employment.

The terms and conditions of the “Get to Know Working Life and Earn Money” traineeship are negotiated annually between the Commerce Federation and the Service Union United PAM.

You can get financial support for hiring a young unemployed person. The amount and duration of the aid depends on factors such as whether the young person was unemployed before starting work and how long he or she has been unemployed.

Employing with a salary subsidy

A salary subsidy is a financial contribution that the TE services can use to reimburse an employer for part of the costs of hiring an unemployed jobseeker. The amount and duration of the compensation depend on the length of the period of unemployment. There are also other conditions for receiving salary subsidies.

For more information on salary subsidies , see the TE website.

Training compensation

If the employee is studying for a vocational qualification under an apprenticeship, the employer may be entitled to a training compensation to cover the costs of on-the-job training. The practices for paying this allowance vary.

If the apprentice is unemployed, the employer can also receive pay subsidies from the TE Office.

The age of a young worker affects the types of work and working hours that they can undertake. Young workers under the age of 18 must are covered by the Young Workers Act.

In principle, a worker aged 18 or over can carry out all the same work as their older colleagues. Appropriate training must, of course, be provided.

The law allows young people to carry out ordinary commercial tasks. It is frequently queried whether a worker under the age of 18 can sell alcohol or tobacco. If the shop’s product range includes alcohol and tobacco products, the young person can work at the cash register, but there must be at least one adult employee on duty at the same time.

Working hours

The regular working hours of a person aged 15 or over must not exceed the regular working hours of an adult worker in the same job. Workers under the age of 15 may work up to 7 hours per day and 35 hours per week during school holidays. However, the working time of a young worker may not exceed nine hours a day and 48 hours a week.

Rest periods

A worker aged 15 or over must be allowed at least 12 hours of uninterrupted rest per day. A worker under 15 years of age must be allowed at least 14 hours of uninterrupted rest per day. The rules on the allocation of working hours also vary depending on whether the young worker is under or over 15.

Young workers aged 15 and over may conclude, terminate and cancel their employment contracts themselves. The employment contract of a young person under 15 years of age may be concluded by the young person’s guardian or, with the guardian’s consent, by the young person him/herself.

In addition to general employment law, the Young Workers Act applies to the employment relationship of a worker under the age of 18.

The main rules applicable to young workers are summarised in the following table, which our members can use as a checklist:

The first step in the managerial process is to draw up an employment contract and to train the employee. A good employer invests in training and safety at work.

A good employer takes particular care in training young workers. A thorough introduction to the job and the customs of the company gives a good impression of the company. It is worth the effort, because learning the right habits at the beginning of the employment relationship will pay back every hour of training later on. A good training is also important to avoid potential accidents.

A good employer must know and follow the rules of an employment relationship.

By law, a health check is not required if the job is light retail or office work or if the young person has a medical certificate less than a year old stating that he or she is fit for the job. A health check is also not required if the employment relationship lasts three months or less.

However, the employer must keep a list of all young people who have been employed for at least two months.

A young person who is not in vocational training and who turns out to be a willing worker may be offered a vocational business qualification as an apprenticeship or a competency-based qualification.

If a young person started working in commerce straight out of primary school without any vocational training, he or she can complete all or part of a basic business qualification. The basic qualification is a so-called entry qualification, i.e. it provides the skills for basic professional tasks. If a young person has already gained some more work experience and wants to deepen his or her skills, he or she can complete a vocational qualification.

The most widely completed vocational qualification in commerce is the vocational qualification in business, in the field of sales and marketing communication. Those with a specialised vocational qualification have mastered the most demanding jobs in a particular area of commerce, such as the specialised vocational qualification in business in the field of commerce.

The qualification can be obtained through an apprenticeship, which is a fixed-term employment contract. The apprentice is paid a salary in accordance with the collective agreement. A training allowance is paid to the company, the payment of which varies.

On-the-job learning is supervised by a designated workplace supervisor. Any manager or employee in the workplace who is motivated to provide guidance and has a good command of the skills required for the qualification is suitable as a workplace supervisor. Work-based learning is complemented by on-site training at the institution. The skills acquired are demonstrated by a work-based demonstration and assessed.