Today's generation of young people are probably worse off than the preceding couple of generations - economically speaking anyways.
Sure jobs are scarce and educational costs exorbitant, but do you think that our child labor laws are too prohibitive and perhaps contributing to the decline of the young skilled worker powering our economy?
Local politics have biased me on this issue.
The Gov is attempting to roll-back child labor laws in my state. After all he worked for a wage at 11 years old and he turned out ok - or so he tells us.
The proposed changes to current laws look something like this:
- Allow 12 year olds to work with some hourly restrictions (current minimum age for waged workers is 14).
- Relax the restrictions on the number of hours for kids between 14 and 16.
- Allow employers to pay a reduced minimum wage to kids under 16 ($5.25/hr vs $7.25/hr).
- Remove requirements for school superintendents to approve work for students under 16.
I'm ok with kids working. I think I'm ok with 12 year olds working. I like the hourly restrictions and I think they should preserved and enforced. I'm not at all down with the reduced minimum wage. I paid babysitters $5/hour two decades ago. I don't think the current minimum wage is at all unreasonable - even for twelve year olds.
Edit - Here's an article.
Edited, Dec 3rd 2013 5:00pm by Elinda