How old do you have to be to be able to work in British Columbia? Many people will answer 15 or even 16 years, but they are wrong. The minimum age for working a regular job is only 12 in this province, the lowest age of any jurisdiction in North America.
Revisions in 2003 to the provincial Employment Standards Act included reducing the minimum age of work to lower than teen years. Prior to that, anyone under 16 required formal permission by government to be allowed to work.
Today, children aged 12 and up can work at virtually any worksite and at any time of day. The new legislation requires only that children under 15 years have written permission from one parent or guardian in order to be employed at a particular workplace.
This raises genuine concerns in several areas. Children may be vulnerable to economic exploitation either by employers, or parents and guardians. The law also increases the pressure on children to contribute to household income. Furthermore, work will interfere with education and can reduce a child's ability to finish high school. The other big concern is an increase in work-related injuries.
Workplace injuries are tracked by WorkSafeBCand their data have shown a significant increase in the number of children hurt in the workplace. Indeed, there has been a ten-fold increase in the number of accepted injury claims among 12- to 14-year-olds during 2005 to 2008.
The main industries employing children are retail and accommodation and food services, but general construction and agriculture also use child labour.
Prior to the 2003 revisions, Employment Standards used a permit system that tracked where and when children were working. While not perfect, at least that system could identify and track how many children worked and in what jobs.
That responsibility has now been transferred to parents who are expected to know that work is safe for their kids, or to trust that an employer will supervise, train and ensure the safety of their children. As true as this may be, there is nothing to guarantee children are not taken advantage of. Research shows that 22 per cent or 12- to 14 year-olds in BC reported no supervision while working.
The BC Employment Standards Act sets out the conditions work employing children. Among the few protections (or are they?) a child has is to not be forced to work if their school is in session, and not more than four hours on a school day.
The maximum work week during school is 20 hours, and 35 otherwise. And a child must work under direct and immediate supervision by an adult.
It seems strange that children can be used to fill jobs in this way. Age 12? 13? When will they get to be children? B.C. should honour the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: the minimum work age should not be lower than the age for finishing compulsory schooling (15 typically), children may do only light work as long as it does not threaten their health, safety or hinder their education and training.
Dr. Paul Martiquet is the Medical Health Officer for the Sea to Sky.
