There are numerous restrictions on employing minors, including a ban on any contact with alcohol. According to the Alcohol Act, minors are prohibited from working in positions involving the handling of alcohol, except in cases where the alcohol is in unopened packaging and is being stored or transported for commercial purposes.

However, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications (MKM) has now been tasked by the government with easing the rules around employing minors. One of the proposals under consideration is allowing minors to handle alcohol starting at the age of 13, which would enable them to work in cafes.

Discussions will also begin on allowing young people to work more during school holidays. Current rules require that minors rest for at least half of the holiday period, but the ministry believes that working for up to two months during the summer break and up to five days during a one-week break should be permitted, provided the minor's parents agree.

Steve Heinlo, who is part of the ownership group behind several Tallinn restaurants including Ülo, F-hoone, Elevant and Rataskaevu 16, told ERR that the initiative is a welcome one that would make life a little easier for cafes and restaurants.

"If a 16-year-old can work during school holidays, that makes perfect sense," Heinlo said.

He explained that minors under 18 can be highly capable and called the current rules absurd — for example, they're not even allowed to pick up an empty beer glass, which means they can't be assigned even basic cleaning tasks in the food service industry.

For food establishments, this would also mean a wider pool of candidates when hiring service staff, although Heinlo acknowledged that it is currently easier to find employees than it was two or three years ago, when COVID had significantly disrupted the sector.

Reval Cafe owner against laxer alcohol restrictions

Rene Treifeldt, founder and CEO of Reval Cafe, believes that when it comes to minors working during school holidays, much depends on the individual young person and the support they receive at home.

"We all started working at a very young age — often in more demanding jobs and with longer hours," Treifeldt noted. "This shouldn't be overly regulated by law; it's really quite individual."

However, when it comes to alcohol, Treifeldt doesn't see the need for any changes. He considers the current law reasonable and believes young people shouldn't be exposed to alcohol. At Reval Cafe locations, young employees don't participate in the sales process; they serve in support roles.

"The question is whether a young worker can clear an empty beer glass from a table or not. But I think that mostly depends on how the cafe or restaurant owner envisions using young staff. We've mostly had them sell ice cream or help out in basic support roles," he explained.

According to Treifeldt, finding workers is currently easy and companies are not struggling with staffing issues. In recent years, the labor market has shifted into a crisis-era mode, with more job seekers than available positions. This trend is particularly noticeable among young people, who are regularly submitting well-written motivation letters throughout the year.

"In that sense, it's a completely different situation compared to the economic boom years," said one of Reval Cafe's owners. "Before the COVID crisis, there were times when you didn't know if you could even open your doors because there was no staff. But the recent economic crises have hit household incomes hard. Where families once said, 'You don't need to work,' that message isn't so common anymore."

Treifeldt has seen situations where young people's willingness to work is overly restricted. He cited the example of newspaper delivery boys or a case at Reval Cafe where a 13-year-old girl came in to sell ice cream — only for the labor inspectorate to show up shortly afterward. Following that incident, the cafe chain stopped hiring young workers, since they have other staffing options. Still, Treifeldt noted that the real loser in such cases is the young person who misses out on the opportunity to work.

"Let's give young people a chance to earn some pocket money. No, they absolutely shouldn't be serving beer at a bar, but selling ice cream at a family-friendly event? That makes perfect sense," he suggested.

Association: State should ensure young people aware of their rights

The Estonian Hotel and Restaurant Association (EHRL) welcomes the opening of a discussion on youth employment. The association's CEO, Külli Kraner, said that young people who want to take on more work than current rules allow should have the opportunity to do so.

"Even more important, however, is that as opportunities are created, the state must also ensure that young people are properly informed about what they're getting into — labor law, employee rights and obligations, taxation and the different forms of employment relationships," Kraner added.

According to Kraner, finding staff — including seasonal workers — remains a challenge for restaurants and hotels and there is also a broader shortage of young workers.

"We need labor law to be modernized and made more flexible, greater awareness of employment rights and a more adaptable labor market — including simplifying the process of bringing in workers from abroad," Kraner said, outlining the sector's expectations.

She also emphasized the need to create a motivating work environment so that seasonal jobs aren't seen as a last resort, but rather as a conscious and valued career choice.

Under the Ministry of Economic Affairs' proposal, in addition to easing restrictions on handling alcohol and relaxing school holiday work rules, minors as young as 12 could be allowed to handle cash if their parent gives consent.

The ministry also wants to make more flexible the legal requirement that employers notify the Labor Inspectorate 10 days before hiring a minor. Instead, the ministry suggests that a young person should be allowed to start working immediately, with the employer notifying the inspectorate at the same time. If the inspectorate deems the job unsuitable for the minor, it would then have 10 days to inform the employer.

"This would solve the problem of a young person being offered a short-term job on short notice but being unable to take it because the job would be over before the labor inspectorate could grant approval," said Minister of Economic Affairs and Industry Erkki Keldo (Reform).

In addition to these legislative changes, the ministry believes the relevant EU directive also needs to be reviewed. The directive, which outlines what types of work minors may perform, is considered overly restrictive. For example, leaf raking doesn't fall under any of the approved categories, even though it's clearly manageable work for children. According to Keldo, a broader discussion should be initiated at the EU level to revisit and ease these excessive restrictions.

The current Estonian regulations concerning youth employment are based on an EU directive adopted in 1994, which Estonia has largely implemented at the minimum required level.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!