With back-to-school season just around the corner, it’s important employers know about updates to Michigan’s Youth Employment Standards Act to avoid compliance issues and potential fines – or even jail time.
According to Tiffany R. VanderKolk, a labor and employment attorney at Warner Norcross + Judd LLP, new restrictions on working hours and job duties for teen workers – along with break time, recordkeeping and work permit requirements – can trip up even the best-intentioned employers.
“What once were loosely interpreted rules for employees younger than 18 are now clearly spelled out, especially when it comes to work hours when school is in session,” VanderKolk told The Shelley Irwin Show on WGVU Radio. “Here in West Michigan where we have robust tourism and hospitality industries, it’s easy for a restaurant manager to say to a teen employee: ‘We’re really busy – can you stay another hour?’ It’s also easy for a hotel shift supervisor to ask a teen to come into work if another employee has called in sick.”
While these requests make sense from a business standpoint, they can land employers in legal trouble if they violate youth employment laws.
Under the Youth Employment Standards Act, which covers all businesses that employ anyone younger than 18, minors ages 16-17 cannot work more than six days in a workweek, 10 hours in a day or a weekly average of eight hours a day. Add to this the nuances of work hour restrictions for various age groups, and it’s easy to see why employers need to have a minor youth employment policy and train their frontline managers and supervisors on the rules, VanderKolk said.
The new working hour restrictions for teens are:
- 14-15 years old
- During the school year – Cannot work more than three hours per day or more than 18 hours per workweek. Also cannot work outside the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
- During the summer (June 1-Labor Day) – Cannot work more than 40 hours a week or outside the hours of 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.
- 16-17 years old
- During the school year – Cannot work more than six days per week, 10 hours in one day, a weekly average of 8 hours per day or more than 24 hours per workweek. Also cannot start before 6 a.m. or work past 10:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday or past 11:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturday.
- During the summer, school vacation periods or when the minor is not regularly enrolled in school – Can work until 11:30 p.m. and up to 48 hours in one week, but all other restrictions remain.
- Workers ages 16-17 can apply for an hours waiver with written parental consent. However, waivers requesting work between midnight and 5 a.m. will be denied.
“Under these rules, a supervisor who sets the weekly shifts shouldn’t schedule a teen employee too many hours or too late into the night without a waiver approval from the state,” VanderKolk said. “That’s why it’s so important for shift supervisors to be knowledgeable of the laws, recognize potential violations and work with leadership to address them.”
Additional requirements and restrictions can land employers in hot water if their frontline managers aren’t aware of them and properly plan shift staffing around them. This includes the requirement that all employees younger than 18 must get a documented 30-minute uninterrupted break once they have worked five continuous hours. They are also limited in the duties they can perform to ensure their safety.
For example, minors are prohibited from performing certain work, including but not limited to:
- Driving and working as an outside helper, such as pizza delivery.
- Butchering, cutting meat or using a meat slicer, cleaver or boning knife. “This means if a cook calls in sick, you can’t simply ask a teen employee to grab an apron and head to the kitchen to start cutting food,” VanderKolk said.
- Contact with hazardous substances, chemicals, explosives or radioactive substances.
- Jobs using ladders and scaffolding for individuals under 16.
- Jobs on construction sites, excavation sites, bridges, streets or highways.
“Having clear written job descriptions is a best practice that can help employers avoid violations and ensure minors are not assigned prohibited tasks,” VanderKolk said. “It’s critical to coach managers and supervisors on job duties to ensure they easily know whether a work schedule or an assigned duty is compliant with the law.
“Employers should also ensure they have valid work permits on file for all minors employed and regularly review and update their job descriptions and employee handbooks on an annual basis. At the very minimum, employers need to make sure information about youth employment laws is posted in a highly visible place, such as a break room.”
Looking ahead, employers should also be aware of changes to the work permit system. Beginning October 2, 2026, the process for issuing and revoking minor work permits in Michigan will undergo a significant change as the responsibility transitions from schools to the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. While the intent is to streamline the system and reduce administrative work for schools, this shift will bring a new online registration platform for both minors and employers and increased transparency for parents.
“Now is the time for employers to tighten up their internal processes and ensure they are fully compliant,” VanderKolk said. “These laws are detailed and evolving, and the burden is on employers to stay informed since responsibility and liability exist whether they or their employees are aware of the changes or not.”
You can listen to the full interview here. It starts around the 10:41 mark.
