The following is a guest blog post submitted by South Central Service Cooperative.

Are you part of a Greater Mankato member business and have an interest in writing a guest blog for us? Send 500-800 words to [email protected] or reach out to Greater Mankato Growth with further questions.

Did you know that 15-year-olds can work? And in some cases, 14-year-olds can be employed. According to the MN Department of Labor & Industry, no one under the age of 14 can be employed. However, there are certain exceptions such as a newspaper carrier, actor, actress or model. There are also time restrictions put on younger workers. Ages 14 and 15 cannot work before 7 am or after 9 pm; more than 40 hours a week or more than eight hours a day. After they reach age 16, they cannot work after 11 pm on nights before school or before 5 am on school days. 

Here’s an example: Can I hire the 14-year-old neighbor to mow my lawn? Yes, chores commonly done around the home are considered home chores and are exempt from child labor laws. However, firms or companies that are hiring individuals to do similar jobs for their company may not hire a 14-year-old to mow the lawn. Minors younger than 16 cannot use power-driven lawn equipment, such as lawn mowers, weed whips or hedge trimmers.

Source: https://www.dli.mn.gov/business

There are all sorts of rules and regulations that need to be understood prior to employing our younger workers. To learn more, consider attending the Student Worker Panel Discussion on Tuesday, November 26^th.

Learn more about hiring employees under the age of 18. Our business community needs them, and they need the experience! There are so many questions about what they can and can’t do that sometimes it’s easier to not allow students under the age of 18 into your business. If you’ve been thinking about opening your doors to student workers but are concerned about the rules and have found it easier to just say no, please consider attending! We want you to get the answers straight from the experts. 

What: Department of Labor & Industry Panel Discussion on Student Workers

When: Tuesday, November 26^th from 9-11a

Where: South Central Service Cooperative, 2075 Lookout Drive, North Mankato

Registration Link: https://mnscsc.org/events-registration

Questions? Contact Gwenn Wolters at [email protected].