The legal working age is the minimum age required by law in each country or jurisdiction for a person to be allowed to work. Activities that are dangerous, harmful to the health or that may affect the morals or well-being of minors fall into this category.
Africa
Country Legal Working Age 13: (Easy Work)16: (Restricted working hours and the type of work)18: (Unrestricted)12: Light work with family15: Up to industrial work16: Unrestricted15: (Restricted working hours and the type of work)18: (Unrestricted)14: (Restricted working hours and the type of work)16: (Unrestricted)16: (easy work)19: (Unrestricted)
Americas
CountryState / region / province Legal Working AgeNotes12 14: (Restricted working hours) 18: (Unrestricted)Labour Code Act DIVISION E: Women, Young Persons and Children (Employment) (Antigua and Barbuda) It is forbidden to employ workers under 18 years of age for arduous, unhealthy, or hazardous work. 14: The working week for young workers between 14 and 16 years of age should not be more than 3 hours per day and 15 hours per week, only in the mother's, father's or legal guardian's company. 16: Young workers aged over 16 but under 18, have the right to work during normal business hours 18: Unrestricted14 14: (Employment during school hours is prohibited; Night work is prohibited; Industrial work is prohibited; Conditions in respect of young persons: in a school day, for not more than three hours, in a school week, for not more than twenty-four hours, in a non-school day, for not more than eight hours, in a non-school week, for not more than forty hours.) 16: (Unrestricted)Employment Act, 2001 PART X - CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS (Bahamas). 16: (Employment during school hours is prohibited; Night work is prohibited; Industrial work is prohibited) 18: (Unrestricted)Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act PART III: Employment of young persons (Barbados)14 13 10: Independent work (e.g. street selling) with parent permission and government supervision 12: Contract work (for a boss) with parent permission and government supervision; no more than 6 hours per day, not during school hours, and if it does not interfere with schooling In Brazil, any work for minors under 16 years of age is forbidden, except for apprentices, who can start working at 14 years old. Until the age of 18, it is strictly prohibited for the teenagers to work at night or in dangerous or unhealthy conditions. 14: Only apprentices can start working. It is forbidden to work in any other job. 16: Teenagers are allowed to work in any job, but they are prohibited to work at night or in dangerous or unhealthy conditions.18: Unrestricted.16FederalThe Government of Canada defines work as " any activity that:
you are paid to do, or you are not paid to do but is a job that: you would usually be paid for, or would be a valuable work experience for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident (for example, an unpaid intern)." Under 18: Only in an occupation specified by the regulations and subject to conditions fixed by the regulations for employment in that occupation. 18: UnrestrictedUnder 12: Consent of parent or guardian is required. Only in artistic endeavor, of which a permit is required (see Notes column). Allowable hours of work and other restrictions determined during the approval process for this permit. 13 to 14: Consent of parent or guardian is required. Only allowed if it does not negatively impact child's life, health, education or welfare. Work hour restrictions include:
Working between 9 PM and 6 AM is prohibited. Working during school hours is prohibited, unless the child is enrolled in an off-campus education program. On a school day, work is restricted to being outside regular school hours and up to maximum of 2 hours. On a non-school day, work is restricted to a maximum of 8 hours.Positions not requiring a permit include:
Working inside an office as a clerk or messenger, or performing light janitorial work. Working for a retail store as a delivery person for small goods and merchandise or a messenger. Working for an association as a coach. Working for an athletic club as a coach. Working at a restaurant or any other establishment in which food is prepared and served, or sold, as a food service employee under continuous adult supervision. These include assembling food orders, bussing/cleaning tables, providing customer service and mopping/sweeping common areas, as well as being a cashier, dish washer, host/hostess, server and waiter. In general, delivering flyers, newspapers, handbills and in tutorial.
For any type of work not listed above an Employment Standards permit is required. Additionally, if the work is for an artistic endeavour, an Employment Standards permit is required (see Notes column).15: The same as 16 to 17, except that work is prohibited during regular school hours, unless the child is enrolled in an off-campus education program. 16 to 17: Consent of parent or guardian is only a requirement when work is done during restricted hours. As well, no permits are required. However, the following restrictions apply:
15: The same as 16 to 17, except that work is prohibited during regular school hours, unless the child is enrolled in an off-campus education program. 16 to 17: Consent of parent or guardian is only a requirement when work is done during restricted hours. As well, no permits are required. However, the following restrictions apply:
Retail work (defined as selling any beverages, commodities, diesel fuel, food, gasoline, goods, merchandise, natural gas, petroleum, propane) is only allowed between 9 PM and 12 AM with adult supervision. Hospitality work (defined as motels, hotels and any place where overnight accommodation is provided to the public) is only allowed between 9 PM and 12 AM with adult supervision. For any work that is not retail and not hospitality, work is additionally allowed between 12:01 AM and 6:00 AM as long as they receive consent from their parent or guardian and as long as there's adult supervision.
18: Youth employment laws no longer apply.Disclaimer: The Employment Standards rules below only apply to those who are under 18 years old who are employees. If anyone under 18 years old is self-employed, working as an independent contractor, or is volunteering, no legal minimum working age is set. Casual work, such as babysitting, snow shoveling and lawn cutting fall under this category. Additionally, the same type of work may or may not fall under these rules depending on if the child is classified as a true employee. For example, if an employee is refereeing casually or as a self-employed contractor, there is no legal minimum working age. However, if they are a true employee, then the rules to the left are applied.
There exists a different set of rules if the employee under 18 years old is a student in an approved training course or an integrated learning program.
There also exists different rules if the employee under 18 years old is working on a farm or ranch, in which case they follow the rules of other farm and ranch employees. Those who employ workers under 18 years of age need to both perform hazard assessments and control workplace hazards.
Additionally, all employees under 18 years old are protected under Employment Standards and Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) legislation. An artistic endeavour is defined as any work in live performances or the entertainment industry (musical performances and theatre plays), record entertainment (film, radio television and video) and voice recordings (computer and video gaming).1515 18: Unrestricted16: By default 18: Unrestricted15 12: No person shall take into his employment or employ in any occupation whatsoever any child; but a child may be employed in the domestic work or agricultural work of a light nature at home by the parents or guardian of the child.18: (Unrestricted)EMPLOYMENT OF CHILDREN (PROHIBITION) ACT Prohibition of employment of a child. (Dominica) 18: Unrestricted18: UnrestrictedChildren below the age 14 are not allowed to enter the workforce. Minors between the ages of 14 and 18 may work with permission from the Ministry of Labor if their employment is indispensable to either themselves or their family.151616 18: Unrestricted 16: By default18: Unrestricted 18: Unrestricted16: By default1615: Restricted working hours and the type of work18: Unrestricted14 18: Unrestricted 18: Unrestricted 18: Unrestricted16: By default131615 1614141616: By defaultChildren younger than age 16 may be employed with the written consent of a parent or guardian.12 in Illinois, 14 in North Dakota and Nevada
Otherwise many at 16 and a few at 18. Federal legal working age legislation This list was incomplete.Minimum Age Standards for nonagricultural Employment None: deliver newspapers; perform in radio, television, movie, or theatrical productions; work in businesses owned by their parents (except in mining, manufacturing or hazardous jobs); and perform babysitting or perform minor chores around a private home. 14: Minimum age for employment in specified occupations outside of school hours for limited periods of time each day and each week. 16: Basic minimum age for employment. At 16 years of age, youth may be employed for unlimited hours in any occupation other than one declared to be hazardous by the Secretary of Labor. 18: Minimum age for employment in nonagricultural occupations declared hazardous by the Secretary of Labor.
Occupation Standards: 14 Minimum age to work (in/as): Office and clerical Work; Work of an intellectual or artistically creative nature; Cooking (except for: cooking over an open flame, and using equipment such as rotisseries, broilers, pressurized equipment including fryolators, and cooking devices that operate at extremely high temperatures such as "Neico broilers." ); Cashiering, selling, modelling, art work, work in advertising departments, windows trimming and comparative shopping; Price marking, assembling orders, packing and shelving; Delivery work (only by foot, bicycle, and public transportation); Cleanup work; Kitchen work (and other work involved in preparing and serving food and beverages); Cleaning kitchen equipment; Cleaning vegetables and fruits, and wrapping, sealing, labeling, weighing pricing and stocking of items including vegetables, fruits and meat; Loading and unloading from motor vehicles; Lifeguard (But not at a natural environment such as an ocean side beach, lake, pond, river, quarry, or pier); Work in connection with cars and trucks; 16 Unrestricted for Nonagricultural EmploymentMinimum age to work (in/as): Manufactoring occupation; Mining occopation; Any occupation found and declared to be hazardous by the secretary of labour; Occupations involved with the operating, tending, setting up, adjusting, cleaning, oiling or repairing of hoisting apparatus; Workperformed in or about boiler or engine rooms or in connection with the maintenance or repair of the establishment, machines, or equipment; Occupations involved with the operating, tending, setting up, adjusting, cleaning, oiling or repairing or of any power-driven machinery; The operation of motor vehicles or service as helpers on such vehicles; Outside windows washing that involves working from window sills; All work requiring the use of ladders, scaffolds or their substitutes; Baking and most cooking activities; Work in freezers and meat coolers and all work in the processing of meat for sale; Loading or unloading of goods or property onto or from motor vehicles, railroad cars and conveyors; Catching and cooping of oultry in preparation for transport or for market; Public messinger service;