In Ukraine for teenagers want to increase work time

In Ukraine, in conditions of an acute shortage of labor, the authorities took the initiative to increase the working week limit for minors. The relevant bill has already been submitted to the Verkhovna Rada for consideration.

The explanatory note to the document emphasizes that attracting young people to work is especially important now – this is due to serious transformations in the labor market and the growing shortage of labor resources.

Under the proposed rules, teenagers aged 16 to 18 will be able to work up to 38 hours a week. It is planned to set a limit of 26 hours per week for younger workers aged 15 to 16, as well as for students aged 14-15 who work during holidays. In addition, the bill provides for the abolition of a direct ban on the involvement of teenagers to work on weekends.

At the moment, adolescents over the age of 16 can work no more than 36 hours a week.

The shortage of personnel in Ukraine has been a serious problem for a long time. Experts point to several factors that exacerbate the situation: a significant proportion of working-age men go to the shadow sector to avoid mobilization, and families are trying to remove young men from the country who may fall under the draft. The authorities also recognize the shortage of personnel: for example, former Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko said that the country’s economy needs an additional 4.5 million workers.