- December 27, 2021
- Posted by: Cihangir Karabıyık
- Category: Labor Law
The legal age for employment in Turkey is stipulated under Turkish Labor Law. Under Article 2, an employee is defined as “a real person working under an employment contract”. There are no specific ages determined within the provisions of this law, but under Article 71, the legal age for employment is defined under the concepts of child and juvenile labor. It is stipulated under paragraph 1 that “Employment of children who have not completed the age of fifteen is prohibited. However, children who have completed the full age of fourteen and their primary education may be employed on light works that will not hinder their physical, mental and moral development and for those who continue their education, in jobs that will not prevent their school attendance”.
The Regulation on Procedures and Principles of Employing Child and Juvenile Labor Article 4 also defines child and juvenile labor. According to this Article, child labor is defined as a real person who has completed the age of 14 but not 15, and finished his/her primary education. A juvenile labor is a real person who has completed the age of 15, but not 18. Works that child and juvenile labors can do are limited under the provisions of this regulation. As a result of the interpretation of these provisions and definitions, it can be said that the legal age for full employment of adults is 18.