Summer is here and school is out. For many kids that means it’s time for a summer job. (Not everyone can have the kind of carefree summer that Danny and Sandy did . . .)

Michigan employers who hire these kids—expected to be about a quarter million this summer—are subject to the state’s Youth Employment Standards Act (YESA). Here are the basic rules to follow:

• Most important, all workers under 18 must provide their employer with a completed work permit before they begin work. (Work permits can be obtained—often online—from the administration of the school district the minor attends or the school district where the job is located.)
• Minors must be at least 14 years old to work (with a few isolated exceptions like babysitting, caddying, and paper routes). Workers under 16 may not work more than 6 days per week, may not average more than 8 hours per day in any week, and may not work more than 10 hours in any one day. In addition, 14- and 15-year olds may not work between 9:00 pm and 7:00 am.
• Youth workers who are 16 or 17 have the same total hours limits as workers under 16, but during summer vacation their permissible work hours are 6:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays, and 6:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. (With parental consent, employers may apply to the Michigan Wage and Hour Division for an deviation from these hours restrictions.)
• Youth workers cannot be employed in any hazardous occupations, including driving, welding, or construction.
• All youth workers must be supervised by an employee who is at least 18 years old.

More information about the YESA, including the work permit requirements, may be found here.

Questions?
Contact the author Brett Swearingen.