Home » Guide to working life » Employment relationships » Terms of employment for young people » Wages for young workers Last updated: 05.03.2024 Wages for young people and summer workers How much should an upper secondary school student aged under 18 be paid for summer work in the commercial sector? What are appropriate wages for comprehensive school students? Read here! Employment relationships Employment contracts Basics of employment relationships Termination of employment End of employment Cooperation and change negotiations Layoffs Terms of employment for young people Wages for young workers Learn as you earn Holiday and leave Sick leave Working time Wages and holiday bonus Orientation to the work For summer jobs and other short periods of employment, the collective agreement and its terms and conditions must be followed. These terms and conditions are minimum requirements that must be observed. Collective agreements say that even if a young worker only has a summer job, she or he gets wages based on experience and the training or education that she or he has for the work. Is summer work a reason to pay less? Summer work or other seasonal work is not a reason to pay less to an employee due to the young age or short employment period of the employee. If an employee has professional experience and previously acquired skills despite her or his young age, this must also be taken into account in short-term employment relationships during summer time. Many collective agreements contain separate provisions on the remuneration of young people, schoolgoers and trainees. See below for these sector-specific provisions. Remember to check your wages when you enter into an employment relationship When you enter into an employment relationship and sign an employment contract, you must check the grounds for your wages, such as what collective agreement is applied, what is the working time, and what is the duration of the employment relationship. Below is information about the most typical sector-specific minimum wages for young people and summer workers under the collective agreements. Please refer to the applicable collective agreement for more information about the terms of employment in your sector. Always remember to check in you payslip that your wages and the related supplements have been paid correctly in accordance with your working hours. PAM recommends that you keep a record of your completed shifts and keep the shift list for possible review. Read here how to check your wages. Read about matters related to wages concerning you: Commercial sector Hotel, restaurant and leisure industry Property services Amusement parks Bingo Cinemas Golf Image production Removal services Security services Learn as You Earn (Tutustu ja Tienaa) summer trainee programme Commercial sector In the commercial sector, the employee’s wages are affected by a number of factors, such as whether the employee has any training or previous experience in the field. Wages are also affected by whether the young worker is hired through the Learn as You Earn (Tutustu ja Tienaa) summer trainee programme or whether the standard wage regulations (such as schoolgoer’s or trainee’s wages) under the collective agreement are applied. How much should you be paid? Schoolgoer’s wages A schoolgoer’s wages are at least 70% of the first-year wages in the lowest pay scale in each job difficulty class. Schoolgoer’s wages can be paid to students of a comprehensive school, upper secondary school or vocational institution. An employer may pay schoolgoer’s wages for no more than two months. If, for example, the employment relationship continues with the same employer the following summer, schoolgoer’s wages can no longer be paid. When schoolgoer’s wages have been paid for two months, the worker must be paid at least trainee’s wages next. Trainee’s wages A trainee’s wages are at least 85% of the first-year wages in the lowest pay scale in each job difficulty class. Trainee’s wages may be paid for no more than a year. After one year, the worker must be paid first-year wages in the applicable pay scale. If you have a vocational qualification related to your job in the commercial sector, you must always be treated as a third-year worker in the wage classification. Typical jobs for young people and summer workers A person starting in their first job in the sector and a young summer worker are often offered jobs in pay scales A and B. These include: Assisting clerical work/”basic task” (wage class A), messenger (A), handling of bottles and trolleys (A), salesperson I (B1, from 1.6.2024 B), salesperson in a kiosk (B1, from 1.6.2024 B), logistics worker/”occupational position” (B2, from 1.6.2024 B) Wages for summer workers Minimum wages according to the pay scale for Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen and Vantaa starting 1.6.2024 Wage class Schoolgoer*, monthly pay Schoolgoer*, hourly pay Trainee**, monthly pay Trainee**, hourly pay First-year worker, monthly pay First-year worker, hourly pay A 1 367,808,551660,9010,381 95411,51 B 1 450,409,071761,2011,012 07212,09 (*See collective agreement for minimum wages before the 1 June 2024 pay rise) Minimum wages according to the pay scale in other parts of Finland starting 1.6.2024: Wage class Schoolgoer*, monthly pay Schoolgoer*, hourly pay Trainee**, monthly pay Trainee**, hourly pay First-year worker, monthly pay First-year worker, hourly pay A 1 313,908,211595,459,971 87711,73 B1394,408.72 1 693,2010,58 1 992 12,45 (*See collective agreement for minimum wages before the 1 June 2024 pay rise) Working time supplements The amounts of evening and weekend work supplements can be found in the collective agreement’s wage annex . Sunday work supplement Regular work done on a Sunday, a religious holiday, Independence Day and May Day is subject to double pay. However, supplements are not doubled. Hotel, restaurant and leisure industry The collective agreement for the hotel, restaurant and leisure sector contains provisions on wages for young people, schoolgoers and trainees. Wages are also affected by whether the young worker is hired through the Earn as You Learn (Tutustu ja Tienaa) summer trainee programme or whether the standard wage regulations (such as schoolgoer’s or trainee’s wages) under the collective agreement are applied. Wages are based on the number of years of experience and/or training applicable in the job. The employer must also take into account the training and previous work experience of the summer worker. The achievement of one year of experience requires the following: One year of work if the average minimum working time is 60 hours or more in three weeks Two years of work if the average minimum working time is less than 60 hours in three weeks How much should you be paid? Schoolgoer’s wages* are 70% of the wage class mentioned in the collective agreement. Such wages can be paid to students of a comprehensive school and upper secondary school. Schoolgoer’s wages may be paid for no more than two months. Trainee’s wages** are at least 80% of the wage class for the job in question with 0–2 years of experience. Trainee’s wages can only be paid for a trainee period that is at the beginning of the employment relationship and lasts for no more than six months. If you have a vocational qualification in the field, the maximum training period is two months. If you have work experience, the training period is shorter. Wages equal to trainee’s wages can also be paid to workers aged under 18 if they have no professional skills or qualifications. Typical jobs for young people and summer workers A person starting in their first job in the sector and a young summer worker are often offered jobs in wage classes 1–4. These include, for example, the following: busser (wage class 1), assistant worker (1), café worker (2), fast-food worker (2), waiter (2 or 4), chef (2 or 4), service station worker (2 or 4). Alcohol sales affect the wage class The wages of a waiter, chef and service station worker are based on wage class 2 if the café, fast-food restaurant or restaurant serves no alcoholic beverages or serves beverages with an alcohol content of no more than 5.5%. If beverages with an alcohol content of more than 5.5% are served, the wages are based on wage class 4. Wages for summer workers Minimum wages under the current wage classification (1 July 2023 to 31 August 2024): Wage class Schoolgoer*, hourly pay Schoolgoer*, monthly pay Trainee**, hourly pay Trainee**, monthly pay 0–2 years of experience, hourly pay 0–2 years of experience, monthly pay 1 7,811 2428,921 41911,16 1 7742 7,97 1 2679,11 1 448 11,38 1 8103 8,47 1 346 9,671 538 12,09 1 923 4 8,94 1 422 10,221 625 12,77 2 031 Working time supplements from 1 July 2022 onwards Evening work supplement (6 pm to midnight): €1.33 per hour Night work supplement (midnight to 6 am): €2.25 per hour Sunday work supplement An increase of 100% applies to basic wages and evening and night work supplements for working hours completed on a Sunday, a religious holiday, May Day and Independence Day. Property services A young person or summer worker entering the property services sector is often offered jobs in difficulty classes 2–4 in the wage classifications. These typically include the jobs of a cleaner, caretaker, maintenance worker, yard cleaner and lawn care worker. The wage class is determined by the company in question, based on an assessment of job difficulty. How much should you be paid? Trainee’s* wages are based on wage class 1. This means 90% of wages in wage class 2. Trainee’s wages can be paid to schoolgoers and students working during school holiday periods. Wages for summer workers Minimum wages under the current wage classification (1 May 2023 to 31 July 2024): Wage class Hourly pay Monthly pay 1 trainee* 10,56 1 700 2 11,73 1 889 3 12,32 1 984 4 12,94 2 083 Amusement parks Workers employed by amusement, theme and adventure parks have their own collective agreement, which applies to workers covered by the Working Hours Act. How much should you be paid? In wage classes A and B, young workers* aged under 18 may be paid 90% of the wages in the applicable wage class for the first two months of the employment relationship. After the first two months, the wages will be based on the work experience class** (at least 0–6 months). In calculating work experience under the wage classification, the time spent working for the same employer is taken into account. Experience is calculated in months. Experience accumulates for months during which the worker has worked for at least 10 days or 76 hours. Minimum wages from 1 June 2023 to 31 July 2024 and starting on 1 August 2024: Wage class A: assistant worker, ticket seller, cleaning and park worker, arcade worker, ride worker or operator, animal keeper, salesperson (fast-food stand, café and kiosk), security worker, pool guard Class A Worker aged under 18* 0–6 months** 6–12 months** More than 1 year** 7.27 8.08 8.89 9.93 starting 1.8.20247,408,229,0410,10 Wage class B: chef, waiter (beverages with an alcohol content of no more than 5.5%), maintenance worker, rail worker, office worker, lifeguard (qualification), demanding animal care, cleaner, hotel cleaner, demanding ride maintenance or operation, group guide, information point manager, ride operator stand-in Class B Worker aged under 18* 0–6 months** 6–12 months** More than 1 year** 8.32 9.24 10.10 11.41 starting 1.8.20248,469,4010,2711,60 Wage class C: waiter, chef (beverages with an alcohol content of more than 5.5%) Class C 0–1 years** More than 1 year** 11.02 12.45 starting 1.8.202411,2112,66 Working time supplements from 1 June 2023 onwards Evening work supplement (6 pm to midnight): €1.39 per hour Night work supplement (midnight to 6 am): €2.35 per hour Working time supplements from 1 August 2024 onwards Evening work supplement (6 pm to midnight): €1,41 per hour Night work supplement (midnight to 6 am): €2,39 per hour Sunday work supplement An increase of 100% applies to work done on a Sunday, a religious holiday, May Day and Independence Day. The 100% increase also applies to evening and night work supplements. Bingo A summer worker may be paid trainee’s wages, which are 3% below the lowest wage class in the applicable cost-of-living category. Trainee’s wages may be paid for no more than six months. See the collective agreement (in Finnish) for the wage classifications. Cinemas A summer worker may be paid trainee’s wages, which are 85% of the applicable wage class. Trainee’s wages may be paid for no more than four months if the worker has no previous experience in the field. See the collective agreement for the wage classifications (in Finnish). Golf A summer worker with no training or previous experience in the field may be paid trainee’s wages, which are 70% of the wages under job difficulty class A. Trainee’s wages may be paid for no more than three months. See the collective agreement for the wage classifications (in Finnish). Image production A summer worker with no previous employment in the field may be paid trainee’s wages, which are 90% of the lower limit of wage class A. See the collective agreement for the wage classifications (in Finnish). Moving services A summer worker with no previous experience in the field may be paid trainee’s wages, which are 90% of the wages under the applicable job difficulty class. Trainee’s wages may be paid for no more than four months or 500 hours. See the collective agreement for the wage classifications (in Finnish) Private security services Summer workers are required to have a guard license or a temporary guard license. A summer worker may be paid wages under class 1 / trainee’s wages for no more than four months. See the collective agreement for the wage classifications (in Finnish). Earn as You Learn (Tutustu ja Tienaa) summer trainee programme The Earn as You Learn (Tutustu ja Tienaa) trainee programme can only be applied in fields for which an agreement has been made. Read more about the Learn as You Earn programme.
