Minimum working age
Minimum working age is the legally permitted age for admission to employment or work, set by national law within the framework of ILO Convention No. 138 where that convention is ratified. The applicable threshold can depend on compulsory schooling, a country's circumstances, the type of work, and specific rules for light or hazardous work.
In simple terms
Convention No. 138 asks ratifying states to pursue the effective abolition of child labour and progressively raise the minimum age. Minimum working age is a legal threshold used to regulate admission to work; child labour is the broader category of prohibited or harmful work involving children and depends on age, task, conditions, and schooling. As a general framework, the basic minimum should not be below the age of completing compulsory schooling and normally not below 15, subject to specified national circumstances. Limited light work may be permitted at lower ages under regulated conditions, while hazardous work generally requires a higher age. Companies must therefore check current local law and task-specific rules rather than apply one number everywhere.
Why it matters
Age controls protect education, health, safety, and development, and they shape recruitment, supplier due diligence, remediation, and access to remedy. A simplistic age check can miss hazardous tasks, informal work, false documents, or lawful light-work conditions. Responses should prioritize the child's best interests and avoid dismissals that create greater harm.
Example
A supplier verifies ages before hiring but also maps job hazards and the applicable national rules. When it identifies an under-age worker, it stops the harmful work, protects income and schooling through a documented remediation plan, involves the family and qualified local partners, and follows up until the child reaches lawful working age.
References
Current status
- As of
- Issuer
- International Labour Organization
- Jurisdiction
- International
- Instrument or version
- Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) and Recommendation No. 146
- Status
- ILO Convention No. 138 establishes an international framework for national minimum-age policy, subject to ratification and national implementation.
Applicability: The binding threshold for a particular worker and task comes from applicable national law. Ratification status, compulsory-schooling age, permitted light work, hazardous work, exclusions, and any transitional provisions must be checked for the jurisdiction concerned.