SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Teens in New Jersey can work more hours during the summer under a new law signed by Gov. Phil Murphy. Businesses on the Jersey Shore welcome the news, as many have had trouble finding employees.
The new law means 14- and 15-year-olds can work up to 40 hours per week from the student’s last day of school through Labor Day, while 16- and 17-year-olds can work up to 50 hours per week over that same time.
“It’s really going to help our workforce, especially on the boardwalk,” said Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Michele Gillian.
She said the new rules will allow businesses to extend hours, as younger employees will be allowed to work longer days in the summer and on holidays during the school year.
“It means that more income is going to be coming to these small businesses to get them through the year. It also rewards the 16- and 17-year-olds as well as the 14- and 15-year-olds that do a good job,” Gillian said.
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“We think teenagers are going to learn more valuable lessons for their future, and they can become part of the business community and learn how to do good things when making money.”
Existing labor law requires overtime rates of time and a half for anything beyond 40 hours in a week. A 50-hour work week at minimum wage comes out to more than $700 per week before taxes.
Gillian says businesses also support a change to the way teens file their working papers. In June 2023, the state will move away from the process of obtaining papers at schools to an easily-accessible online form with the New Jersey Department of Labor.
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