In an August 21, 2023 letter to the U.S. Department of Labor, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) said it is initiating a review to determine the Wage and Hour Division's (WHD) efforts to curtail child labor law violations, as well as the cause for the increase in such violations.
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) establishes minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and youth employment standards affecting employees in the private sector and in federal, state, and local governments. Federal child labor laws are designed to protect the educational opportunities of minors and prohibit their employment in jobs and under conditions detrimental to their health or well-being.
The FLSA and the youth employment regulations establish both hours and occupational standards for youth. Children of any age are generally permitted to work for businesses entirely owned by their parents, except those under age 16 may not be employed in mining or manufacturing and no one under 18 may be employed in any occupation the Secretary of Labor has declared to be hazardous.
In April 2023, the DOL announced that child labor law violations were up 69% since 2018 and that it began actively working to educate Southeast employers about their legal obligations in preparation for the Summer hiring surge. From fiscal year 2020 through 2022, the division assessed employers more than $2.8 million in penalties and conducted more than 500 child labor...
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