Hoosier Employers Who Hire Minors Face New Requirements

Schools will no longer be responsible for issuing work permits effective July 1

The Indiana Department of Labor’s Bureau of Youth Employment announced that on May 4, 2021 Hoosier employers must adhere to new requirements regarding minor employees younger than 18 years old, beginning July 1, 2021.

The announcement comes just weeks before the school year ends, and the biggest youth-employment season begins. The new requirements will eliminate the need for work permits and replace them with a new employer registration platform known as the Youth Employment System, or YES.

“Schools will no longer be responsible for issuing work permits, or tracking and registering minor employees,” said State Labor Commissioner Joe Hoage. “That latter responsibility will now fall to employers via YES.”

Effective July, employers who employ five or more employees at each individual location who are under 18 years old will be required to register via the new YES online platform.

The change is part of amendments to Indiana Code 22-2-18.1-26 made during the 2020 state legislative session, which also mandated implementation of the YES registry and effective date of employer registration by July 1, 2021.