This text is part of the special Syndicalism booklet
By the end of March, the Minister of Labour, Jean Boulet, will table a bill aimed at better regulating the work of the youngest. Developed through consultative thinking, it should be a compromise between the well-being of the younger generation and the needs for the province’s economy.
Today, in Quebec, it is possible to recruit a child, i.e. a young person under the age of 18, to work in his company. No minimum age is currently regulated as such by law in Quebec. A child under 14 must also have permission from a parent or legal guardian to work. And although public opinion agrees on the principle of regulating the situation, the development of such a law to meet the expectations of the various parties promises to be a great challenge.
A minimum age and a maximum number of hours
“The challenge lies in the balance between the school project and the work of young people,” says Audrey McKinnon, Executive Director of the Quebec Network for Educational Success (RQRE).
The recommendations made during the consultations propose that the work of young people be prohibited before the age of 14, except under certain specific conditions. But the minimum age is not the only criterion debated. The number of hours worked per week should also be limited.
According to the Statistical Institute of Quebec (ISQ), the risk of dropping out of school increases in proportion to the number of hours worked. Thus, 21% of boys who work ten hours or less each week are at risk of dropping out. They are more than twice as likely to drop out of school if the number of hours doubles. Among girls, the proportion of people at risk is lower than among boys, but it still increases from 13% to 24%.
For Audrey McKinnon, this is explained by the fact that a young person who works too much risks experiencing anxiety, stress and fatigue. This ends up having an influence on his ability to succeed in school. The Labor and Manpower Advisory Council (CCTM) recommends limiting the number of hours worked by young people to 17 hours a week, and 10 hours during school weeks.
Securing the future
“Job is becoming more and more complex, whether in manufacturing, technology or digital,” says Charles Milliard, CEO of the Federation of Quebec Chambers of Commerce (FCCQ). “We need people with higher literacy and numeracy. We have a lot of functional illiterates in Quebec, we have to stop this bleeding. »
In fact, beyond obtaining a diploma or respecting a law, the education, training and graduation of the young generation will enable Quebec to have a more qualified workforce. “If we want to develop our economy, we need our young people to go to school,” adds Charles Milliard.
In order to help employers, the FCCQ published last year the Employers’ Charter for school perseverance. Its objective is to highlight employers who are committed to promoting work-study balance. To date, around 100 companies have joined the movement, including major players such as Métro and Mouvement Desjardins.
For the representative of the FCCQ, it is important that young people have the necessary tools to make their career choice. In return, he also believes in the school of life: “Working also allows some young people to socialize, to understand the role of money, to develop other skills that one does not necessarily acquire on the benches from school. There is the school and the school of life, and you have to find a balance between the two. »
On this subject, the Quebec Network for Educational Success thinks that these extracurricular skills could be acquired through activities such as volunteering, artistic or sports projects. “With this type of activity, you can discover a passion, develop skills, a sense of responsibility and autonomy. The benefits of entering the labor market are very real, but they can also be acquired in other ways,” adds Audrey McKinnon.
Understanding through data
Although there seems to be a social consensus on the restrictions that could be imposed by law, the data is still limited. This is the observation made by Audrey McKinnon: “We lack documentation, especially on the work of the youngest. But in the meantime, we must experiment, try to find solutions and act together. »
Same story on the side of the FCCQ. Charles Milliard would like the bill to include monitoring indicators and collect data on the work of young people under 15: “The government should make it its duty to collect data. Failing to have them, we advance in a more empirical way, but this is something that will have to be corrected. »
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, relating to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.