Labor Department Opens Dialogue On Teens In The Workplace

The U.S. Department of Labor has opened a national dialogue to improve outreach to teens on workplace issues of safety, wages, job training, and discrimination.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the U.S. workforce included 4.7 million teens between the ages of 16 and 19 in 2020. In fiscal year 2020, the department recorded child labor violations in more than 850 investigations by its Wage and Hour Division and estimates a teen between 15 and 19 years old requires emergency room treatment for a workplace injury approximately every five minutes.

With this in mind, the U.S. Department of Labor is extending an invitation to teens, parents, educators, employers, and other interested stakeholders to join a national online dialogue through April 30 to gather ideas on how the department can connect with teens better.

teens in the workplace
(Credit: Getty Images/Alexander Shelegov)

The department will use the insights received to develop effective ways to enhance its existing efforts to inform teens about avoiding workplace hazards; the types of work they are allowed to do; age restrictions for work hours; employer wage requirements; employment training, including apprenticeships; and workplace discrimination.

Co-hosted by the department’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Wage and Hour Division, Office of Compliance Initiatives and Employment and Training Administration, the dialogue is part of ODEP’s ePolicyWorks initiative.

Click here to register and participate in the online dialogue.

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