The Department is particularly committed to reducing the exploitation of child labor. The Department's ultimate goal is full compliance with employment laws which will ensure workers a safe, healthy, and fair workplace. These labor standards include requirements for payment of minimum wages and overtime pay, protections for working youth under child labor standards, job protection for employees who take leave for certain family or medical reasons, and minimum working conditions for agricultural workers. When developing regulatory proposals, the Division's focus is to assure fair, safe and healthful workplaces for the Nation's workers, while at the same time providing clear compliance guidance and minimizing burdens on the regulated community. Updating the child labor regulations issued under the FLSA will help guarantee a safe, healthy, and fair workplace for the Nation's working youth to balance their education with job-related experiences.
Many workers first gain job-related skills through their initial exposure to work as teenagers.
Updated child labor regulations that better reflect today's workplace will assist young workers in having safe jobs and enhance their opportunity to gain the skills to find and hold good jobs with the potential to increase their earnings over time. Ensuring safe and reasonable work hours for working youth will also ensure that top priority is given to education while allowing young workers to contribute to the economic security of their family. Updating and clarifying the criteria that define the minimum wage and overtime exemptions for executive, administrative, professional, and outside sales employees under the FLSA, and clarifying when helpers may be used on federally funded and assisted construction contracts covered by the prevailing wage requirements of the Davis-Bacon and related acts, will help guarantee workers a secure and quality workplace. Revising and updating these regulations will help employers meet their obligations voluntarily and enhance employees' understanding of their rights and benefits. Regulations issued under the Executive Order and the two acts cover nondiscrimination and affirmative action obligations for Federal contractors and subcontractors.