# Apprentices in the staff schedule: working time under the KJBG > Working time, vocational school, breaks, rest, night rest, weekly time off and Saturdays in retail: what Austrian youth employment law requires of the schedule. 1. [eutempus](https://eutempus.at/en/) 2. [Staff scheduling in Austria](https://eutempus.at/en/staff-scheduling/) 3. Apprentices and young workers Guide # Apprentices and young workers in the schedule Employees under 18 in Austria are covered by the KJBG, with much tighter limits than adults. What this means for the staff schedule, especially in retail. [By DI Florian Gusenbauer](https://eutempus.at/en/about/#florian-gusenbauer) · Last updated: October 6, 2026 · 5 min read General information, not legal advice. The law, your collective agreement and your works agreement prevail. ## Contents 1. [Working time: 8 and 40 hours](#working-time-8-and-40-hours) 2. [Vocational school counts as working time](#vocational-school-counts-as-working-time) 3. [No overtime in the usual sense](#no-overtime-in-the-usual-sense) 4. [Breaks and rest](#breaks-and-rest) 5. [Sundays, public holidays and weekly time off](#sundays-public-holidays-and-weekly-time-off) 6. [Saturdays in retail: § 19a KJBG](#saturdays-in-retail--19a-kjbg) 7. [Checklist for apprentices under 18](#checklist-for-apprentices-under-18) Employees under 18 in Austria are not covered by the Working Time Act but by the **Employment of Children and Young Persons Act (Kinder- und Jugendlichen-Beschäftigungsgesetz, KJBG)**. It sets tighter limits on working time, requires longer rest periods and protects evenings, Sundays and the weekend. Apprentices who have turned 18 are covered by the Working Time Act again (§ 1 (1) AZG). ## Working time: 8 and 40 hours Young workers may work at most **8 hours a day** and **40 hours a week** (§ 11 (1) KJBG). A different distribution is possible, for example to extend weekly time off, or by collective agreement. Averaging over several weeks is only permitted if the collective agreement allows it, comparable adults in the business work this way and a different arrangement would be unreasonable for the young workers. In all these cases, at most **9 hours a day** and **45 hours** in individual weeks are allowed (§ 11 (2) to (3) KJBG). ## Vocational school counts as working time Young workers must be released for vocational school (Berufsschule), and the lessons **count towards** weekly working time (§ 11 (4) and (5) KJBG). If lessons on a day last at least 8 hours, no work in the business is allowed that day. On shorter school days they may only work as long as lessons, travel and work in the business together do not exceed the statutory working time (§ 11 (7) KJBG). Example: an apprentice has 8 hours of vocational school on Tuesday. Tuesday is then blocked for the business, and 8 of the 40 weekly hours are already used. ## No overtime in the usual sense There is no general permission for overtime for young workers. Only young workers **over 16** may, for compelling operational reasons, work half an hour longer a day for preparatory and closing work, such as serving the last customers: at most 3 hours a week and never more than 9.5 hours a day (§ 12 KJBG). The retail collective agreement states that young workers are generally not to be called on for overtime. ## Breaks and rest - **Break:** for more than 4.5 hours of work, at least 30 minutes, at the latest after 6 hours (§ 15 KJBG). - **Rest period:** at least **12 consecutive hours** after the end of daily working time, 14 hours for persons under 15 (§ 16 KJBG). - **Night rest:** no work between **8 pm and 6 am** (§ 17 KJBG). There are exceptions, for example for hospitality and bakeries, but not for shops. For retail this means: an apprentice under 18 cannot be scheduled until closing time at 9 pm, and after a shift ending at 7 pm the next one starts at 7 am at the earliest. ## Sundays, public holidays and weekly time off Young workers may not be employed on Sundays and public holidays, apart from a few sector exceptions (§ 18 KJBG). Every week they are entitled to **two consecutive free calendar days** that include Sunday and start at 1 pm on Saturday at the latest (§ 19 (1) KJBG). If the two days are split for organisational reasons, the part including Sunday must generally cover at least 43 hours. Young workers who work on a Saturday may not be employed on the Monday of the following calendar week, unless the weekly time off is split under § 19 (1a) KJBG; special rules apply when Monday is a vocational school day (§ 19 (2) KJBG). ## Saturdays in retail: § 19a KJBG In shops, young workers may work on Saturdays after 1 pm as far as opening hours permit. The **following Saturday must then stay entirely free** (§ 19a (2) KJBG). Exceptions: - the last four Saturdays before 24 December, - Saturdays on which work after 1 pm was only serving remaining customers or closing work until 3 pm, - a works agreement, or in businesses without a works council a written individual agreement with the consent of the parents or guardians, allowing work on two Saturdays within four weeks, - further deviations by collective agreement. The retail collective agreement adds that for young workers under 18, Sunday stays free without exception, and the time from 6 pm on Saturday to 7 am on Monday must always be free. ## Checklist for apprentices under 18 1. At most 8 hours a day and 40 a week, including vocational school. 2. Do not plan overtime. 3. A 30-minute break for more than 4.5 hours. 4. 12 hours of rest, no work between 8 pm and 6 am. 5. Sundays and public holidays off, two consecutive free days a week. 6. In retail: after a Saturday after 1 pm, keep the next Saturday entirely free. 7. Keep an eye on birthdays: from 18, the AZG and ARG apply. > **In eutempus:** Employees under 18 have their own daily limit and a weekly limit equal to their contracted hours; both are hard rules. The daily limit defaults to 9 hours, the maximum with a different distribution or averaging; if the basic rule of 8 hours applies to you, set it accordingly. In areas where apprentices may not work alone, eutempus makes sure a fully trained colleague is on duty too. Apprentices aged 18 and over have their own daily limit (10 hours by default). eutempus does not check night rest, the 12-hour rest period, Sunday and public-holiday rest, the free days, vocational school times or the free Saturday under § 19a KJBG separately. Enter vocational school days as an absence in a category that counts toward weekly hours; they then count toward the weekly limit. ## Sources 1. [Employment of Children and Young Persons Act (KJBG), RIS, current version (German)](https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/GeltendeFassung.wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnormen&Gesetzesnummer=10008632) 2. [§ 11 KJBG: working time, RIS (German)](https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/NormDokument.wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnormen&Gesetzesnummer=10008632&Paragraf=11) 3. [§ 19a KJBG: Saturday work in shops, RIS (German)](https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/NormDokument.wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnormen&Gesetzesnummer=10008632&Paragraf=19a) 4. [§ 1 AZG: scope, RIS (German)](https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/NormDokument.wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnormen&Gesetzesnummer=10008238&Paragraf=1) 5. [Collective agreement for retail employees and apprentices, as of 1 January 2026 (GPA, German)](https://www.gpa.at/content/dam/gpa/downloads/kollektivvertrag/handel/handelsangestellte/2026/Kollekttivvertrag_2026_Handelsangestellte.pdf) ## Frequently asked questions How many hours may apprentices under 18 work? At most 8 hours a day and 40 a week (§ 11 (1) KJBG). With a different distribution of working time or averaging, at most 9 hours a day and 45 in individual weeks (§ 11 (3) KJBG). Time at vocational school counts towards weekly working time. May apprentices work overtime? Not in the usual sense. Only young workers over 16 may work half an hour longer a day for preparatory and closing work, at most 3 hours a week and never more than 9.5 hours a day (§ 12 KJBG). The retail collective agreement states that young workers are generally not to be called on for overtime. Until when may apprentices in retail work in the evening? Young workers may not be employed between 8 pm and 6 am (§ 17 KJBG). There is no separate exception for shops. What applies to apprentices aged 18 and over? Apprentices who have turned 18 are no longer covered by the KJBG but by the Working Time Act (§ 1 (1) AZG) and the Rest Periods Act, together with the collective agreement. ## Read on - [Staff scheduling in Austria →](https://eutempus.at/en/staff-scheduling/) - [Working hours and rest periods →](https://eutempus.at/en/staff-scheduling/working-hours-rest-periods/) - [Retail collective agreement →](https://eutempus.at/en/staff-scheduling/retail-collective-agreement/) - [Retail staff scheduling →](https://eutempus.at/en/retail-staff-scheduling/) ## See eutempus run on your own rules. In 30 minutes we show you how a roster for your business comes together, with your opening hours, your qualifications, your collective agreement. [Request a demo](https://eutempus.at/en/contact/) [Watch the video (2 min)](https://eutempus.at/en/#video) No obligation. 30 minutes. We look at your business and your rules instead of showing slides.