Employment of Persons Under the Age of Eighteen

Background

Persons under the age of eighteen are considered minors whose employment is subject to the Child Labor Law and the New York State Department of Labor's regulations.

The basic requirements are that employment of minors must be properly documented and restricted to certain periods of time and types of occupations.

Documentation

The operating location must have on file an unexpired employment certificate, also known as a "working paper," for employees under the age of eighteen. This certificate must be an original document.

Restrictions

Under the law and regulations, restrictions on the employment of persons under the age of eighteen apply to two areas:

Restricted Occupations

Federal and state laws prohibit children under eighteen years of age from performing certain kinds of jobs because of the hazards involved.

Such jobs include:

Factors Affecting Hours of Work Allowed for Minors

The number of hours per day, hours per week, and days per week that a minor is allowed to work depends on

Restrictions for Minors Attending School

The following tables contain information about the hours and days of work allowed for a minor attending school when school is in session and when it is not:

When School Is in Session

Age of Minor

Maximum Daily Hours on School Days

Maximum Daily Hours on Other Than School Days

Other Restrictions

Maximum Weekly Hours

Maximum Days per Week

14 or 15

3

8

May not work between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.

18

6

16 or 17

4

8

May not work between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

28

6

When School Is Not in Session

Age of Minor

Maximum Daily Hours

Other Restrictions

Maximum Weekly Hours

Maximum Days per Week

14 or 15

8

May not work between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.

40

6

16 or 17

8

May not work between midnight and 6 a.m.

48

6


Restrictions for Minors Not Attending School

The following table provides information about the hours and days of work allowed for a minor not attending school:

Age of Minor

Maximum Daily Hours

Other Restrictions

Maximum Weekly Hours

Maximum Days per Week

16 or 17

8

May not work between midnight and 6 a.m.

48

6

Employment of Minors Who Have Another Employer

The total hours of employment for a minor must not exceed the maximums allowed by law.

Therefore, it is important that operating locations that hire minors make an effort to determine whether the minors are also employed elsewhere, and if so, to ensure that the total hours worked by the minor for all his or her employers are within the legal limits.

Note: To help monitor the hours worked by minors, operating locations should use the query and reporting features of the computerized business system.

Responsibilities

Operating Locations

The Research Foundation operations manager is responsible for ensuring that

Central Office

The director of the Office of Employee Services is responsible for ensuring that

Reference

For more information, see Laws Governing the Employment of Minors on the NYS Department of Labor Web site at https://www.labor.state.ny.us/html/workprot/minors.htm.