DOL Youth Employment Fact Sheet

General information about the federal youth employment provisions applicable to minors in the workforce.

This Fact Sheet provides general information about the Federal youth employment provisions applicable to nonagricultural occupations. Different standards apply to farm work.

The Department of Labor is committed to helping young workers find those positive and early employment experiences that can be so important to their development, but the work must be safe. The youth employment provisions of the FLSA were enacted to ensure that when young people work, the work does not jeopardize their health, wellbeing or educational opportunities. Employers are subject to the youth employment provisions generally under the same coverage criteria as established for the other provisions of the FLSA.

It is an unfortunate fact that children do get injured, even killed, in the workplace. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health estimates that…