Netanya mall to host fair for teens seeking jobs

The fair, which will take place on June 17th, is expected to offer the teenagers dozens of jobs for summer employment.

By DANIELLE ZIRI
Teenagers drinking and smoking Hookah 521 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
Teenagers drinking and smoking Hookah 521
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
The Ir Yamim Mall in Netanya will host a large employment fair next week dedicated to summer jobs for teenagers looking to work during their upcoming 10 weeks long summer vacation from school.
According to the event organizers, which also include the Netanya Municipality,  some 60,000 teenagers across the country are expected to be seeking summer employment this year in order to earn pocket money.
The fair, which will take place on June 17th, is expected to offer the teenagers dozens of jobs.
In addition, the National Insurance Institute, which helped plan the event, will set a booth at the mall in order to provide attendees with information regarding their rights, obligations and work conditions as defined by youth employment law in Israel.
While the law sets the minimum age of employment at 15 years old, during the summer, it is lowered to 14 years old.
Beyond wages, employers are also required to pay Social Security, health and travel expenses for their young employees.
The minimum hourly wage for a teenager under 16 years of age is NIS 17.39, while for those between 16 and 17 years old it amounts to NIS 18.64 and NIS 20.63  for 17 to 18-year-olds.
Legally, businesses can hire teenagers for up to 40 hours a week divided into a maximum of eight hours each day.
The law also forbids employers to employ adolescents after 10pm, unless they have received special permission from the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor,  which would allow teens to work until 11pm. 
"Every year during the summer holidays, we have witnessed thousands of young people wandering around the city with nothing to do,” CEO of Ir Yamim Mall, Benny Halif said in a statement.
“In most cases, they want to work and earn their living but do not know how to look for a job,” he continued.
Halif added that he views the mall as an important element in assisting the community with its needs, and therefore initiated the fair.