COLUMBUS, Ohio —The Ohio General Assembly is moving to pass a resolution urging Congress to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to allow individuals under the age of 16 to be employed between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. during the school year, provided they have the approval of a parent or legal guardian.
The resolution, known as S. C. R. No. 2, was introduced by Senator Schaffer and garnered support from several cosponsors in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, including Senators Cirino, Reineke, Brenner, Wilson, Romanchuk, Gavarone, Hackett, Hoagland, Johnson, Lang, Reynolds, Roegner, Schuring, and Wilkin, as well as Representatives Claggett and Jones.
The measure comes in response to the significant job losses experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in an unemployment rate of 14.8% and the loss of over 22 million jobs nationwide. While the economy has been recovering, employers are still struggling to fill over 10 million available positions, hindering their ability to resume regular operations.
Ohio, in particular, was heavily impacted by the pandemic, shedding nearly 900,000 jobs and recording a 16.4% unemployment rate in April 2020. Despite progress, the state has yet to recover approximately 105,000 of those lost jobs.
Recognizing the increasing importance of teenage workers in the labor force, with an unemployment rate of 11.3% as of November 2022, lawmakers argue that expanding employment opportunities for minors would provide businesses with the flexibility to adjust their operating hours and hire additional staff to meet their needs.
Under current federal and state laws, individuals under 16 years of age are permitted to work until 9 p.m. during the summer months or other school holidays. The proposed changes would extend these working hours to include the school year, allowing businesses to fully resume their regular operations.
Advocates for the resolution contend that local economic growth is closely tied to increased employment and wages. By allowing more individuals, including minors, to join the workforce and earn income, businesses will experience heightened demand for goods and services, thereby creating a need for additional workers. Opponents of the measure, however, are concerned that it would lead to teenagers working too many hours and sacrificing their education and health. The issue is likely to be debated in the coming weeks and months, as Congress considers whether to amend the FLSA.