The minimum working age as an employee is generally 16. However, a young person can only enter into a contract of employment if they have completed compulsory schooling. From 18 years of age upwards, a
contract of employment may be entered into without completing compulsory schooling.
Types of employment contracts
Contract of employment of indefinite duration: no time limit.
Fixed-term contract of employment: duration limited in time, although generally for six months, though they may be shorter (in situations provided for by law) or longer, up to a maximum of three years (including renewals).
Contract of employment for an unspecified duration: lasts as long as necessary to replace an absent employee or to complete an activity, project, work or task for which the contract is justified. This contract cannot last for more than six years.
Very short duration contract of employment: up to a maximum of 60 days. This is only allowed in special cases such as seasonal agricultural work or tourist events lasting no more than one week (brought in with the new Labour Code of 2009)
Intermittent contract of employment: used by companies performing an activity that is either intermittent or varies in intensity, whereby the employee works for a period, followed by one or more periods of downtime. Such contracts must indicate the annual number full-time working hours or days. The employee must be employed full-time for at least six months in each calendar year, with four months' consecutive employment (brought in with the new Labour Code of 2009)
Part-time contract of employment: corresponds to normal weekly working hours of no more than 75% of the hours worked on a full-time basis in comparable circumstances, and can lead to a reduction in daily working hours or the number of days worked per week.
Telework contract: provision of legally dependent labour, usually not on the employer’s premises, by means of information and communication technologies. This type of contract may not last more than three years.
A number of different contracts are commonly used for temporary work: temporary contract of employment, fixed-term contract or contract of unspecified duration (which cannot last for more than two years) or contracts of unspecified duration, for temporary provision of service.
Text last edited on: 08/2009
Source: European Union © European Communities, 1995-2009 Reproduction is authorised.
