Beginning July 1, 2021, Indiana employers will have to register minor employees with the Indiana Department of Labor to comply with a newly amended Indiana Code 22-2-18.1-26. Under the amendment, employers who hire five or more minor employees per location must register those employees with the Department of Labor. To ensure familiarity with the new platform prior to its implementation date, the registry is currently available to Indiana employers.
What does this change for employers?
Transitioning away from work permits, which were previously issued by schools, the online platform—known as the Youth Employment System or YES—will place the responsibility of tracking and registering minor employees on employers. Additionally, once a minor employee is no longer employed with the employer, the employer must remove the minor’s information from the registry.
What information is required from employers?
Under the new law, employers are required to report to the Youth Employment System: (1) the name of the employer; (2) their corporate and individual facility locations; (3) the number of minors hired or employed; and (4) information regarding the minor employees (name, age, etc.).
Are there penalties for noncompliance?
Once effective, the Indiana Department of Labor’s Youth Employment Division may assess $100 to $400 penalties for each infraction identified. Infractions include reporting an incorrect number of minors employed, neglecting to register minors or failing to remove minors from the system once their employment ends.
Practical Takeaways
Employers who hire or plan to hire at least five minor employees should familiarize themselves with the YES platform and make sure that they are prepared to, and have compiled all of the information necessary to, register each of their minor employees by the July 1, 2021 effective date.
Employers should also keep in mind that this new requirement does not eliminate Indiana’s work-hour requirement for minors and employers must remain compliant with the Teen Work Hour Restrictions and Prohibited and Hazardous Occupation Restrictions that apply to minors.
For more information and updates, visit the Youth Employment section of the Indiana Department of Labor website.
If you have any questions on issues discussed in or related to this post, please contact:
- Claire Bailey at (317) 429-3608 or cbailey@wp.hallrender.com; or
- Your primary Hall Render contact.
Special thanks to Hannah Clarke, law clerk, for her assistance with the preparation of this article.
Hall Render blog posts and articles are intended for informational purposes only. For ethical reasons, Hall Render attorneys cannot—outside of an attorney-client relationship—answer an individual’s questions that may constitute legal advice.
