Employment Law Report

As the school year draws to a close and some employers turn to workers under the age of eighteen (18) to fill various open roles for the summer and beyond, we note a couple of recent changes by Indiana lawmakers concerning the employment of minors. The recent changes ease restrictions on, and requirements for, employing minors. On July 1, 2026, House Bill 1302 will go into effect. That provision repeals existing state law that required employers that employ five or more minors between the ages of fourteen (14) and seventeen (17) to provide certain information to the Indiana Department of Labor. This change comes on the heels of changes that became effective January 1, 2025. Those changes allow sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds to work the same hours and days as an adult, eliminating the need for parental permission for sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds to work longer or later hours. Moreover, fourteen- and fifteen-year-olds can work until 9 PM on any day from June 1 to Labor Day (see IC 22-2-18.1-17). Restrictions remain on minors working in jobs categorized as hazardous by the child labor provisions of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (see IC 22-2-18.1-23).