Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

USANorth AmericaEmployment lawLatest NewsMigrant workers

Florida to relax child labour laws

by Adam McCulloch 28 Mar 2025
by Adam McCulloch 28 Mar 2025 Florida senate building
Shutterstock
Florida senate building
Shutterstock

Children as young as 14 would be allowed to work overnight shifts under new laws being passed in the US state of Florida.

The state’s legislature on Tuesday advanced a bill – Senate Bill 918 – that will loosen child labour laws, allowing teenagers to work overnight jobs on school days. State law currently prevents them from working earlier than 6.30am or later than 11:00pm.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis supports the law change, and linked it to the loss of migrant workers in the wake of nationwide crackdowns on undocumented labour.

US employment news

Trump orders closure of US mediation body in industrial disputes

Ben & Jerry’s accuses Unilever for sacking boss over activism

Google agrees $28m payout to settle racial bias claims

Musk demands US government workers ‘list accomplishments’

In a panel discussion with US border “czar” Tom Homan, a senior official performing the duties of the director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), DeSantis said: “Yes, we had people that left because of those rules, but you’ve also been able to hire other people. And what’s wrong with expecting our young people to be working part-time now?”

He added: “Why do we say we need to import foreigners, even import them illegally, when you know, teenagers used to work at these resorts? College students should be able to do this stuff.”

The changes to Florida’s child labour laws would also end guaranteed meal breaks for 16- and 17-year-old workers and include relaxing working time restrictions on teenagers aged 14-15 if they are home-schooled.

On Tuesday (25 March) the bill passed through the senate’s Commerce and Tourism committee and will face two more committee votes before being voted on by the full Florida senate.

Several states have rolled back child labour laws in recent years. In 2023, Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a bill that made it easier for companies to hire children without getting consent from their parents.

Last week, Homan’s ICE department arrested 370 “undocumented migrants” in the Boston area. Many of these, he admitted, were “collateral arrests” and were not guilty of any crime. He told Fox News that the “majority of them were criminals. We had, you know, numerous collateral arrests. And I’ve said it before … collateral arrests are going to be … people who aren’t criminals that are found when we’re looking for the criminal, are going to be taken into custody.”

 

Latest HR job opportunities on Personnel Today

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.


Browse more human resources jobs

 

Adam McCulloch

Adam McCulloch first worked for Personnel Today magazine in the early 1990s as a sub editor. He rejoined Personnel Today as a writer in 2017, covering all aspects of HR but with a special interest in diversity, social mobility and industrial relations. He has ventured beyond the HR realm to work as a freelance writer and production editor in sectors including travel (The Guardian), aviation (Flight International), agriculture (Farmers' Weekly), music (Jazzwise), theatre (The Stage) and social work (Community Care). He is also the author of KentWalksNearLondon. Adam first became interested in industrial relations after witnessing an exchange between Arthur Scargill and National Coal Board chairman Ian McGregor in 1984, while working as a temp in facilities at the NCB, carrying extra chairs into a conference room!

previous post
Senior HR pay rising faster than junior roles
next post
Hybrid workers less sick and less stressed

You may also like

Immigration white paper: which jobs will be affected?

19 May 2025

Immigration white paper: 10 key points and reaction

12 May 2025

Immigration white paper: strict limits on overseas recruitment

12 May 2025

Labour MPs urge more flexibility with EU over...

24 Apr 2025

Home Office reveals employers’ costly right-to-work mistakes

7 Apr 2025

New right to work checks put onus on...

3 Apr 2025

Will new visa rules kill or cure the...

25 Mar 2025

‘Inconsistent immigration policy since Brexit is damaging the...

21 Mar 2025

You’ll never guess who’s a skilled worker –...

14 Mar 2025

Visa rules for care sector employers tightened

14 Mar 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+