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The Indicator from Planet Money

When does youth employment become child labor?

The Indicator from Planet Money

NPR

Business

4.79.5K Ratings

🗓️ 20 March 2024

⏱️ 11 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The number of teenagers in the workforce today is at its highest level in about 20 years. At the same time, child labor violations are up and states are relaxing some protections for their youngest workers. On today's show, we examine the state of the Gen Z labor force, and the distinction between youth employment and child labor.

Related episodes:
Young, 'spoiled and miserable' in China (Apple / Spotify)
Teenage (Employment) Wasteland

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Transcript

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0:00.0

NPR This is not the indicator for Planet Money. I'm Adrian Ma.

0:14.0

And I'm Whelan Wong.

0:15.0

Adrian, when you were a teenager, what did you and your friends talk about?

0:19.0

This podcast is not the appropriate venue.

0:22.0

Keep it clean, geez.

0:24.0

What about you?

0:26.0

I feel like boys, math tests.

0:29.0

Classic teenage conversation.

0:32.0

Well, Phoebe Taitro is 16.

0:35.0

She's a sophomore at a high school in Pennsylvania and she says lately she and her friends cannot stop talking about their jobs.

0:43.6

It's one of our favorite topics, you know,

0:46.4

oh, I'm on the schedule next week for two shifts

0:49.9

and you know how much we're getting paid and that kind of gossip.

0:53.3

Industrial teenagers.

0:54.7

Yeah, I know.

0:55.9

Phoebe works at a local Mediterranean restaurant.

0:58.6

One of her friends works in a bookstore and another has a job at a fast food chicken shop near their high school.

1:04.6

It's been interesting to see how that tone has shifted in our like conversations

1:08.9

you know talking about work like wow I'm grown up. I could talk about my job.

1:14.0

They grow up so fast.

1:16.0

Phoebe is among a growing number of teens who've landed jobs in the past couple of years.

1:20.0

A hot labor market has prompted businesses to hire more young people and as a result

...

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