State’s New Youth-Employment System Goes Live

 The new law requires Indiana employers who hire five or more minor employees (under age 18), per location, to list those employees in the new YES registry. The change is part of amendments to Indiana Code 22-2-18.1-26 made during the 2020 state legislative session, which also mandated implementation of the YES registry and effective date of employer registration by July 1, 2021.

   “We wanted the system to go live a month before the law goes into effect so employers can set up their accounts, test-drive the system, and learn their way around it,” said Michael Myers, director of DOL’s Bureau of Youth Employment. The new requirement will eliminate the need for work permits in Indiana for minor employees, and shift the responsibility of tracking and reporting youth employment from schools to employers. Required information will include the employers’ corporate and individual facility location, and minor employee information, such as name and age, once the minor is officially employed. Upon termination of employment, the employer must remove the minor’s information from the YES active-employee registry.

As of July 1, employers who fail to comply with the new registration requirements may face penalties of up to $400 per infraction. The new YES requirement will not impact the state’s work-hour requirement for minors, and all employers must still comply with the Teen Work Hour Restrictions and Prohibited and Hazardous Occupation restrictions for minors. For more information about the new state requirements and the YES registry, click here.