A year after loosening child labor laws and two years after penalizing businesses that hired undocumented immigrants, Florida is now looking at removing all work restrictions on 16- and 17-year-olds to fill the gap.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-controlled Legislature will soon discuss SB 918, a proposed bill that would enable minors as young as 16 to work unlimited hours and without breaks and even allow some kids as young as 14 to work without restrictions.

"Yes, we had people that left because of those rules, but you've also been able to hire other people. And what's wrong with expecting our young people to be working part-time now? I mean, that's how it used to be when I was growing up," DeSantis said during a panel last week.

The reality is that most young people already have part-time jobs. Approximately 54.5% of young people between the ages of 16 and 24 in the United States are employed, according to a July 2024 report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The youth labor force, which measures the number of young people working or actively looking for work, grows to more than 60% annually between April and July as students seek seasonal employment during summer break.

Could removing child labor work restrictions actually help labor shortages, and, more importantly, is it the right answer? Here's what to know.

Florida minors aren't allowed to work many occupations immigrants work

Immigrants make up about 21% of Florida's population and about 26% of its...

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