Teen Work Hours

Question A: Extending the hours 14 - 15 year olds can work during the school year will increase human capital development.

Question B: Extending the hours 14 - 15 year olds can work during the school year will increase labor supply.

Question C: Extending the hours 14 - 15 year olds can work during the school year will decrease safety for young workers.

Question A: Extending the hours 14 - 15 year olds can work during the school year will increase human capital development.

Economist	Institution	Opinion	Confidence	Comment
Jonathan Andreas	Bluffton University	Disagree	6	The average kind of work that 14-year-olds do for pay is generally very low-skilled work and most students learn very little compared to what they learn in school or in after-school enrichment activities. The young kids who excel the most in school do not work much during the school year and the kids who work the most for pay during school tend to not excel at school. This is why most parents of college-bound students discourage excessive work during the school year, and particularly for 14-year-olds. However, it could be beneficial for a few kids too, so I doubt there will be a big effect on the overall average.
Bizuayehu Bedane	Marietta College	Uncertain	8
David Brasington	University of Cincinnati	Disagree	8	current law allows experience without detracting from schoolwork
Glenn Dutcher	Ohio University	Strongly Disagree	9
Kevin Egan	University of Toledo	Disagree	5	The overall limit for hours worked for this group is the same it just allows later hours to 9 pm. I expect very small to no impact on learning and human capital development, as the only change is allowing the hours of work to be a little later.
Robert Gitter	Ohio Wesleyan University	Uncertain	6	Although they may be eligible for more jobs the evidence is not clear if working in the evening will result in less time studying, fewer hours of sleep, or just reduced screen time. The first one reduces human capital and the last would have no impact.
Paul Holmes	Ashland University	Disagree	7	Tough to imagine very many 14-15 year old children need the extra 2 hours of work in the evening to 'develop human capital'. This looks to be a business-friendly idea, not one aimed at training youths.
Michael Jones	University of Cincinnati	Agree	5
Charles Kroncke	Mount Saint Joseph University	Strongly Disagree	9	This will decrease human capital because the kids will do worse in school.
Trevon Logan	Ohio State University	Strongly Disagree	8
Joe Nowakowski	Muskingum University	Uncertain	6
Curtis Reynolds	Kent State University	Strongly Disagree	9	Extra hours will not increase human capital formation for these individuals. The types of jobs they have are very low-level (they are 14-15) so it is not clear how much skill formation will happen. A few more hours will not matter that much anyway. However, it will cut into other time sure that build human capital including studying/academics.
Dean Snyder	Antioch College	Strongly Disagree	7
Kay Strong	Independent	Disagree	9	"Human capital" development for 14 and 15 year olds ---or 9th and 10th graders is immersion in high school course work including completion of school work, exam preparation, and sufficient rest for growing bodies. Allowing the "service" industry to balance profits on the backs of these youths is unconscionable. Shortages of any kind including labor are corrected by raising the "price" offered in the market. It's basic supply and demand.
Ejindu Ume	Miami University	Disagree	6	I'm not convinced that human capital will increase, but allowing for more hours worked by 14 and 15 year olds living in poverty can certainly reduce the financial strains they face.
Kathryn Wilson	Kent State University	Disagree	6	I do not see how there were be additional human capital development from working 7-9 that would not happen in earlier hours. If the later work hours means that students do not do as well at school, which may be a result of lack of sleep, this would potentially end up a net harm on their human capital.

Question B: Extending the hours 14 - 15 year olds can work during the school year will increase labor supply.

Economist	Institution	Opinion	Confidence	Comment
Jonathan Andreas	Bluffton University	Agree	7	Technically, it would have zero effect upon the labor force because the labor force is defined as "people age 16 and older", but even if we expand our definition of the labor force, it is unlikely to have a significant effect on the overall numbers because minors below age 16 produce a trivial percent of the total hours worked and this change is unlikely to boost the total by much. But it could have a big effect for some individual kids.
Bizuayehu Bedane	Marietta College	Agree	8
David Brasington	University of Cincinnati	Agree	8
Glenn Dutcher	Ohio University	Agree	3
Kevin Egan	University of Toledo	Agree	5	I expect the impact on labor supply to be small as again the total hours allowed is the same.
Robert Gitter	Ohio Wesleyan University	Agree	5	Probably only a bit as they can now work more shifts. They might be able to get jobs at a restaurant, or in retail that they could not before but the total number of hours allowed does not change.
Paul Holmes	Ashland University	Agree	8	It's a relatively minor increase in labor supply, but an increase nonetheless. It's such a small effect that I doubt it'll have much impact on wages.
Michael Jones	University of Cincinnati	Agree	9
Charles Kroncke	Mount Saint Joseph University	Strongly Disagree	10
Trevon Logan	Ohio State University	Uncertain	8
Joe Nowakowski	Muskingum University	Agree	8
Curtis Reynolds	Kent State University	Disagree	6	There is no evidence of a large set of 14-15 year olds who would work more but cannot because of current legislation. So while technically even 1 person would be an "increase in labor supply" I do not expect there to be a large effect.
Dean Snyder	Antioch College	Uncertain	5	The labor supply increases will likely be marginal.
Kay Strong	Independent	Strongly Disagree	1	Raise labor supply by raising the wage paid workers whie collaboratively addressing workplace concerns.
Ejindu Ume	Miami University	Agree	8
Kathryn Wilson	Kent State University	Agree	6	While extending the hours 14-15 year olds can work may increase the labor supply, it seems the correct question is whether this is the best way to increase the labor supply. Higher wages will also increase the labor supply, and do so in a manner that I think would be better for the economy and for children.

Question C: Extending the hours 14 - 15 year olds can work during the school year will decrease safety for young workers.

Economist	Institution	Opinion	Confidence	Comment
Jonathan Andreas	Bluffton University	Agree	6	Again, not a big change, but it would increase the number of days that kids are commuting home after dark and the number of hours working after dark and more accidents happen after dark. I doubt it will be a significant change.
Bizuayehu Bedane	Marietta College	Agree	8
David Brasington	University of Cincinnati	Disagree	10	14 and 15 year olds are probably safer with employer than other ways they would spend their time
Glenn Dutcher	Ohio University	Uncertain	2
Kevin Egan	University of Toledo	Disagree	5	This is a small change allowing work until 9 pm instead of 7 pm; hours 14 to 15 year olds are generally awake anyway so I see little impact.
Robert Gitter	Ohio Wesleyan University	Agree	6	Perhaps a little as out later but I don't see much of an effect.
Paul Holmes	Ashland University	Agree	5	Probably not due to children working tired (these are prime 'awake' times for teenagers) but perhaps due to travel later at night.
Michael Jones	University of Cincinnati	Disagree	5	If a 15 year old is permitted to work at 6 pm, then why not allow him to work at 8 pm? Parents are in the best position, with the most information, to make good decisions for their own children.
Charles Kroncke	Mount Saint Joseph University	Strongly Agree	10
Trevon Logan	Ohio State University	Strongly Agree	8
Joe Nowakowski	Muskingum University	Agree	8
Curtis Reynolds	Kent State University	Uncertain	5	I am not sure that the extra hours will decrease safety, but I am concerned about the safety of the jobs they are working. So I am not sure this will make jobs less safe, but it also will not make them more safe.
Dean Snyder	Antioch College	Agree	7
Kay Strong	Independent	Agree	8
Ejindu Ume	Miami University	Disagree	8
Kathryn Wilson	Kent State University	Agree	7	The average start time for Ohio is 7:50 a.m. Taking into consideration the time it takes to get ready in the morning and commuting time to schools, this means students must wake up very early. I am concerned that students working until 9:00 on school nights will not have the necessary time to unwind from work and get a good night's sleep.