Ohio bill proposes longer working hours for youth

CHESAPEAKE, OH (WOWK) – Ohio residents are looking at a possible change in child labor laws that would allow those under 16 to work longer hours. This change has been proposed to compensate for the current labor shortage.

Economists in West Virginia say this type of law could be a good change for the Mountain State as well.

“We have the tightest labor market that we’ve seen in a long time. Employment is very, very low. We know in addition to that a lot of people have left the work for since COVID-19 and we have a lot of labor market shortages. It’s just hard for businesses to find the workers that they need now,”

John Denkins, WVU Bureau of Business & Economics Research Director

He says implementing the changes in this bill could be a “fix” to the current shortage in the labor market.

“I’m not going to predict what West Virginia policymakers will do, but I can certainly understand why policymakers in our state would look toward a policy like that because the labor market shortages aren’t just in Ohio. Those labor market shortages are all across the country and they’re certainly here in West Virginia,” says Denkins.

The owner of Dairy Bell in Chesapeake, Ohio, Nick Clay, says he hopes the bill passes in Ohio because making up for the shortage has not been easy.

“Now usually on the shift, it’s two to three people. Before, it was four to five people. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot but every second counts in the restaurant industry. The longer people wait the more aggravated they get. They’re there because they’re hungry, we’re feeding the hangry,” says Clay.

If this bill passes in Ohio, the federal government will need to act before it can take effect because congress will need to update the Fair Labor Standards Act to match Ohio’s bill.

Until then business owners will continue to stretch to make ends meet.