Even before he made public the report of the Labor and Manpower Advisory Committee on child labor, Quebec Labor Minister Jean Boulet said he agreed with its recommendations. He intends to present a bill to this effect as soon as the next parliamentary session opens.
Such promptness on the part of the minister reminds us that the former holder of the immigration portfolio doubtless believes that he has something to be forgiven for. But beyond these considerations, which are as much political as self-esteem, we cannot blame him for wanting to quickly do useful work.
The committee, which brings together representatives of employers, unions and the ministry, recommended that the minister set 14 as the general age for admission to employment. Currently, there is no age limit, but a student under the age of 14 must obtain parental permission to be hired.
One of the recommendations advocates prohibiting employers from asking a young secondary school student to work more than 17 hours a week and more than 10 hours between Monday and Friday during the school year.
According to the 2016-2017 Quebec Health Survey of High School Youth, from the Quebec Institute of Statistics, the risk of dropping out among young people increases according to the number of hours worked, particularly among boys if they work. 16 hours or more per week. It may come as a surprise, but when they don’t work more than 11 hours a week, boys are less at risk of dropping out than their non-working peers. Among girls, all working hours combined, those who work drop out less than their counterparts who do not have a job.
Another survey, which dates back however—it dates back to 1992—shows that young people who have a small job, but who work few hours, i.e. 10 hours or less per week, show a better average than students who do not work no way. But as you might expect, grades drop with increasing hours worked.
As for work accidents, they are on the rise among young people: this could be explained by the fact that more members of this age group work. But there is a lack of data both on this level and on the phenomenon as a whole, a deficiency that will have to be corrected.