Self-reported child labor law violations among US youth working in the retail and service industries

Background: US child labor laws are intended to protect the health of young workers by restricting the time youth can devote to work and the types of occupations/tasks they are allowed to perform. The extent of violations of these laws is unknown. With adolescent occupational injuries numbering in the hundreds of thousands annually it is questionable how well these laws serve their protective function. In 2003, the US Dept. of Labor identified 7,228 minors employed in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Child Labor Coalition (a Washington-based NGO) identified 4,755 minors (in 30 states) employed illegally. Given the limited enforcement capacity of state and federal officials it is likely the true number of violations is higher. Methods: Using telephone interviews with a nationally representative sample of 858 young workers, we investigated the self-reported prevalence of select state and federal child labor law violations among 14-17 year olds working in the retail and service industries. Results: Very few youth (between .35% and 1.4%) reported working in violation of laws that restrict weekly work hours or that prohibit work after a particular time of day during the school year (5.8%). Nearly half (48%), however, reported performing one or more prohibited occupations or tasks. Statistically significant differences by age and gender were found for both hours and task violations. Roughly one in ten respondents were working without the required work permits. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate the need for stronger enforcement of existing child labor laws, particularly with respect to occupations/tasks.