No child under 14 years of age may be employed or permitted to work at any occupation at any time. (section294.021, RSMo)
Permits to work
Young persons under 16 can accept employment on regular jobs during the school term of they first secure a work certificate. They may accept summer jobs without a work certificate. A child under 16 years of age, however, may work in the entertainment industry if the director of the Missouri Division of Labor Standards issues the child a work permit.
Work certificates guard our young people against undue interference with their education. Certificates to work are issued by local public school officials. The certificates contain such information as the student's name, home address, age and school, and the days and hours during which the student may be employed.
Work certificates are issued when the young person appears in person presenting:
 | An intent to employ form signed by a prospective employer stating the nature of the work and the hours of employment. |
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| A written consent of the parent or guardian for the job described (for children under 16) |
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| A certificate from the principal of the school which the child attends or has attended showing the grades of school work completed. (For children under 16) |
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| Proof of age as shown by a birth certificate or other documentary evidence. |
A copy of the work certificate will be transmitted to the employer who must keep the certificate on file during child's employment. Upon termination of children under 16, the work certificate must be returned immediately to the issuing officer.
Employment of 14 and 15 year-old minors is limited to certain occupations, under conditions which do not interfere with their schooling, health or well-being.
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| Office and clerical work (including operation of office machines) |
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| Cashiering, selling, modeling, art work, work in advertising departments, window trimming and comparative shopping. |
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| Price marking and tagging by hand or by machine, assembling orders, packing and shelving. |
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| Bagging and carrying out customer's orders. |
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| Clean-up work and maintenance of grounds, not including the use of power mowers or cutters. |
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| Kitchen work and other work involved in preparing and serving food and beverages. This does not include the operation of power slicers, grinders, dumbwaiters or other equipment in cooking and baking which is considered to be hazardous. |
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| Work in connection with cars and trucks if confined to dispensing gasoline, courtesy service, car cleaning, washing and polishing and other occupations permitted under the law. Not included is work involving the operation of any motor vehicle or the use of pit, racks or lifting apparatus involving inflation of any tire mounted on a rim equipped with a removable retaining ring or involving the lifting of the vehicle hood. |
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| Cleaning vegetables and fruits, and wrapping, sealing, labeling, weighing, pricing and stocking goods when performed in areas physically separate from areas where meat is prepared for sale and outside freezers or meat coolers. |
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| Any hazardous employment |
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| Any power driven machinery |
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| Any capacity where sleeping accommodations are furnished, except where physically separated from sleeping areas |
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| Any establishment where intoxicating alcoholic liquors are sold and served for consumption on the premises, except where at least 50 percent of gross sales are from other than alcoholic beverages |
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| Any occupation prohibited by sections 294.040 and 294.043, RSMo. |
These 14- and 15-year-old minors may not be employed during the school year for more than three hours on any school day or for more than eight hours on any non-school day. They may not work more than six days a week.
Minors may be employed:
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| Between 7 A.M. and 7 p.m. during the school year |
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| Between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day |
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| No more than eight hours in any day |
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| No more than six days or forty hours in a week |
These times are consistent with the Federal Wage and Hour Administration. Under federal law, however, a minor may only work 18 hours in a school week.
It has been estimated that youths age 16 and 17 are eligible to work in more than 90 percent of the jobs known. These include:
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| Most manufacturing jobs |
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| Most jobs in retail stores |
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| Most restaurants |
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| Most repair shops |
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| Most laundries |
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| Most clerical and office jobs |
Certain employers are required to comply with the provisions of the Missouri minimum wage law. For more information concerning covered employees, please contact the Division of Labor Standards, P.O. Box 449, Jefferson City, MO 65102
Please refer to the Missouri Child Labor Laws (Chapter 294, RSMo) and the federal guide to Child-Labor Provisions, No 101
For more complete information, please refer to the following sources of information:
Division of Labor Standards
P.O. Box 449
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0449
(800) 475-2130
RELAY MISSOURI SERVICE:
Voice User Calling A
Hearing/Speech Impaired User
1-800-735-2466
Hearing/Speech Impaired User
Calling A Voice User
1-800-735-2966
Young people are ready to learn and anxious to obtain work experience. Capitalizing on their assets and reducing problems in the employment of young workers is a challenge to each of us because work habits that young people learn in their early years may last a lifetime.
Equally essential in providing these job experiences is the protection of youth from exploitation, physical danger and interference with their formal education.
In an effort to fulfill this double obligation to youth - to make possible the achievement of essential work experiences and to protect them from all dangers while working - certain laws have been enacted which establish appropriate standardized working conditions for minors. The essential ingredients of these laws are briefed for your consideration on this page. For further and more complete information you should refer to the sources listed.
Employment Security will select qualified applicants including youth and refer them to you for your final selection.
Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations
MODOL-INF-144 (8-95) E.S.
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