U.S. — One Department of Labor survey and two other federal datasets containing child labor injury data were discontinued between 2015 and 2023. Some data on the cause of death or industry of employment in the Department of Labor’s workplace fatalities dataset are not publicly available. The number of annual child labor violations cited by the Department of Labor and the number of children affected by those violations have generally increased since fiscal year 2015.

Why It Matters

The discontinuation of data sources and changes in collection methods create gaps in tracking child labor injuries and violations. These gaps affect the ability to target egregious violations and measure the effectiveness of enforcement efforts. The increase in violations and penalties indicates growing concerns around unsafe working conditions for minors.

The lack of detailed data on causes of death and industry of employment limits understanding of the scope and nature of child labor fatalities. Without comprehensive data, policymakers and enforcement agencies face challenges in developing targeted interventions. The absence of a process to evaluate additional data sources further complicates efforts to address these issues.

Timeline

The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 included provisions to protect the safety and health of working children under 18. The Department of Labor changed its data collection methods for injuries and illnesses among working children, rendering data collected since 2021 incomparable to earlier years. An estimated 2.8 million children worked in the U.S. in 2023, according to GAO analysis. The Department of Labor discontinued its interagency task force on child labor in 2025.

What's New

The Department of Labor's data on child labor violations shows that the number of cases with hazardous occupation violations increased from 189 in FY 2015 to 250 in FY 2025, indicating a growing concern around unsafe working conditions for minors. The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) reported 976 cases with child labor violations in FY 2025, the highest since 2013, according to its annual data tables. The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has not evaluated the feasibility of measuring injuries and illnesses to children under 14, despite recommendations from the GAO to do so.

The Department of Labor implemented a new reporting program called 'Business Objects' in 2024, which allows WHD staff to obtain standardized reports on child labor violations, but it has not yet been fully integrated into regional operations. The Department of Labor's Child Labor Civil Money Penalties increased from $1.3 million in FY 2015 to $37.2 million in FY 2025, according to DOL data tables. The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) established a performance metric for child labor-related outreach in agriculture in 2020, as part of implementing a 2019 GAO recommendation. The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has not developed metrics for child labor-related outreach in agriculture, despite the fact that over 75% of child labor fatalities between 2013 and 2023 occurred in agriculture.

How Sources Differ

DOL regional and district officials expressed concern that the data recommended for targeting egregious child labor violations were not detailed enough to provide useful investigation leads, while oversight.gov reported that the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) reported 976 cases with child labor violations in FY 2025, the highest since 2013, according to its annual data tables. DOL regional and district officials expressed concern that the data recommended for targeting egregious child labor violations were not detailed enough to provide useful investigation leads, while oversight.gov reported that the Department of Labor's Child Labor Civil Money Penalties increased from $1.3 million in FY 2015 to $37.2 million in FY 2025, according to DOL data tables.

Gao.gov stated that the Department of Labor's data on child labor violations shows that the number of cases with hazardous occupation violations increased from 189 in FY 2015 to 250 in FY 2025, indicating a growing concern around unsafe working conditions for minors, while oversight.gov reported that the Department of Labor's Child Labor Civil Money Penalties increased from $1.3 million in FY 2015 to $37.2 million in FY 2025, according to DOL data tables. Oversight.gov reported that the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) reported 976 cases with child labor violations in FY 2025, the highest since 2013, according to its annual data tables, while gao.gov stated that the Department of Labor implemented a new reporting program called 'Business Objects' in 2024, which allows WHD staff to obtain standardized reports on child labor violations, but it has not yet been fully integrated into regional operations.

Oversight.gov reported that the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) reported 976 cases with child labor violations in FY 2025, the highest since 2013, according to its annual data tables, while GAO report Child Labor: DOL Action Needed to Better Protect Working Children stated that one Department of Labor survey and two other federal datasets containing child labor injury data were discontinued between 2015 and 2023.