Puerto Rico Employment of Minors

Employer Restrictions and Rules

Employers that are planning to hire a minor or have active minor employees must be in ordinance with Puerto Rico state rules pertaining to employment of minors. Minors between the ages of 14 and 18 cannot be employed in various occupations without an employment certificate or a special permit issued by the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources. The certificate or permit must be available at the establishment at all times. In addition, employers must have a list of the employed minors, their schedules, maximum hours worked, and the schedule of meal periods.

Minor Restrictions and Rules

Minors in between the ages of 14 and 18 cannot work more than 6 consecutive days in a week. Such minors (between ages 14 and 18) may work in a fixed schedule that is in between 6:00 am and 10:00 p.m. Those whom are in between the ages of 14 and 16 can only work from 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Any minor’s labor cannot exceed 40 hours in a week or more than 8 hours in a day; unless the student is attending school. If the student is attending school, the maximum hours the minor could work can’t exceed 4 hours a day.

These work restrictions do not apply to minors employed in known private or public-school occupations like factories and shops. Restrictions also do not apply in private or public establishments where the labor done by the minor is part of a school program.