In the United States of America, the legal minimum age for working in a shop is 16.This minimum age is set out in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which is part of the Federal Child Labor Laws. This act was passed in 1938 and included in the Act are the standards for minimum wage, overtime pay and the minimum age that a child has to be before they are allowed to start working in the retail sector, amongst others.
However, the age of 16 is not standard across the board. Children as young as 14 are allowed to work on farms, but that age is raised to 16 for certain hazardous jobs and this aged is raised again to 18 for tasks such as coal mining, logging or working with explosives. The FLSA also restricts the hours a 16 year old can work and also determines certain jobs that are too hazardous for under-18s to do and sets that as the legal minimum age for those jobs. Also, it must be remembered that shop owners have to have insurance and to insure a child of 16 or 17 might be more expensive than it is worth so they may refuse to employ people younger than 18 when insurance costs are likely to be much lower.
As a general rule though, if you are wanting to work in a shop with little or no hazardous work, 16 is likely to be the legal minimum age, but you must remember that the number of hours you work will be limited and if the employer asks you to do anything that might be considered hazardous, consult the FLSA and, even if it is legal for you to do, if you feel uncomfortable in doing it, you can refuse to do so.
However, the age of 16 is not standard across the board. Children as young as 14 are allowed to work on farms, but that age is raised to 16 for certain hazardous jobs and this aged is raised again to 18 for tasks such as coal mining, logging or working with explosives. The FLSA also restricts the hours a 16 year old can work and also determines certain jobs that are too hazardous for under-18s to do and sets that as the legal minimum age for those jobs. Also, it must be remembered that shop owners have to have insurance and to insure a child of 16 or 17 might be more expensive than it is worth so they may refuse to employ people younger than 18 when insurance costs are likely to be much lower.
As a general rule though, if you are wanting to work in a shop with little or no hazardous work, 16 is likely to be the legal minimum age, but you must remember that the number of hours you work will be limited and if the employer asks you to do anything that might be considered hazardous, consult the FLSA and, even if it is legal for you to do, if you feel uncomfortable in doing it, you can refuse to do so.
