Working time and annual holiday
Working Time Act
The Working Time Act is a general act regulating working time and it applies to both contractual and public-service employment relationships. There are also provisions on working time in the
- Young Workers’ Act,
- Seamen’s Working Hours Act,
- the Act on Working Hours on Vessels in Domestic Traffic and
- the EU regulation on driving times and rest periods in road traffic.
The Working Time Act contains provisions for instance on
- regular working time, additional work and overtime
- general working time
- regular working time based on an agreement between the employer and the employee
- period-based work
- regular working time based on collective agreements
- flexiwork
- flexible working hours
- working time account
- maximum working time
- night work
- emergency work
- daily breaks
- daily and weekly rest periods.
See also
Overview New Working Time Act in a nutshell
Labour law, brochures
Annual Holidays Act
Provisions on the right of employees to annual holidays are contained in the Annual Holidays Act. The Annual Holidays Act applies to both private and public sector and it contains provisions on the
- accrual of annual holiday,
- pay during the annual holiday and
- the granting of the annual holiday.
Further information:
Guidance and supervision of labour legislation: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Osha)
Law-drafting: Tarja Kröger, tarja.kroger(at)gov.fi
News
Government proposes to improve position of persons on variable hours contracts and introduce more predictable terms of employment
Press release
21.4.2022 13.51
Working group report on legislative amendments concerning working conditions and variable hours contracts sent out for comments
Press release
9.12.2021 11.30
Employers’ right to temporarily derogate from working hours and annual holidays arrangements and periods of notice extended in healthcare and social welfare
Press release
12.5.2020 11.33
Employers permitted to temporarily derogate from working hours and annual holidays arrangements in critical functions of society
Press release
17.3.2020 16.56
Implementation of the Work-life Balance Directive to begin
Press release
24.1.2020 14.43
Changes affecting the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment’s administrative branch from 2020
News item
20.12.2019 10.01
Amendment to the new Working Hours Act
Press release
14.11.2019 13.38
Working Hours Act to be updated
Press release
4.7.2019 14.18
Amendments to the Annual Holidays Act enter into force in April
Press release
14.3.2019 14.58
Draft of a new working hours act submitted for impact analysis
Press release
21.5.2018 15.51