Per the attached April 2023 email from the Acting Chief of Wage and Hour, Alaska Department of Labor, work permits for minors employed at the University of Alaska are not required. Please be aware that minors (under the age of 18) working for the University of Alaska are still protected by state and federal child labor laws and special rules and restrictions apply. The work the minor is performing must be in compliance with all child labor laws.
Some of these guidelines from the Alaska Wage and Hour Division include:
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An employee under 18 years of age who is scheduled to work six consecutive hours is entitled to a 30-minute break during the work day.
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A youth under 18 who works five consecutive hours is entitled to a 30-minute break before continuing to work.
Youth 16/17 years of Age May Work:
More information is provided by the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development on the following websites:
https://labor.alaska.gov/lss/childlaw.htm
https://labor.alaska.gov/lss/rights.htm
(NOTE: The information on these sites should be reviewed prior to hiring a minor)
Minors under the age of 16
Due to restrictions placed on minors under the age of 16, it is highly recommended by UA HR not to hire anyone under age 16. Please consult with UA HR Talent Acquisition if considering hiring a minor under the age of 16. Minors under the age of 14 may not be hired by the University of Alaska.
Work Duties
Additionally, please reach out to your EHSRM team to consult about the specific duties the minor will be performing to verify if there are any waivers or further documentation required. Employees who will work independently with or oversee minors must be compliant with Protection of Minor (POM) requirements, including but not limited to a background check. (Note: The department will be responsible for the costs of any POM background checks and the employee/s should be registered in Ideal-Logic to ensure all requirements are accounted for).
Temporary or Student Employee Options for Minors
These applicants would be hired as a temporary employee unless they meet the qualifications for student employment. To be eligible for employment as a student assistant, an applicant must:
1. be enrolled in the university system with a minimum of six credit hours in the current semester of employment; or
2. have been enrolled the preceding semester for six or more credit hours and demonstrate plans to enroll for six or more credit hours in the next semester for employment between semesters; and
3. have at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) or approval from the chancellor or the chancellor’s designee.
If you have any other questions, please reach out to Talent Acquisition.
Background Checks for Minors
Please refer to the UA Background Check Request Guide for instructions on how to initiate a background check for an applicant in myUA. If the applicant is a minor, the HireRight form will ask the applicant to provide the contact information for their parent or legal guardian. An electronic consent form will then be emailed to the parent/legal guardian to complete. The background screening will not be initiated until the parental consent form is electronically signed and submitted directly to HireRight.
Contact for Questions
If you have questions about the child labor laws, or concerns about minor safety in the workplace, you may contact the Alaska Wage and Hour Office at (907) 269-4900 or by email at statewide.wagehour@alaska.gov.
Any questions for UA HR should be directed to the Talent Acquisition team at ua-hrtalent@alaska.edu.
A Background Check Request Guide
Need additional help or have questions?
Please contact ua-hrtalent@alaska.edu for additional assistance.
To contact other UA HR teams, please visit our Contact Us page at https://alaska.edu/hr/contact.php