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Young people have historically made an important contribution to the hospitality sector. With Gen Z said to make up 20 percent of the UK workforce, engaging more young people is an obvious means of gaining an additional flexible staffing option. In spite of concerns that young people seem less enthusiastic about pursuing a career in hospitality, the sector not surprisingly continues to recruit from this age group, thereby investing in its future talent pipeline.
Employment Rules & Laws
Different rules apply when employing young people under 18; for them, additional limits and considerations must be borne in mind. But if a worker is over 18, most of those rules no longer apply.
Age limits
To work full time, young people must be over compulsory school age. That can be either 16 or 18 years old in the UK (young people are expected to be in some form of part-time education or training until the age of 18).
Working hours
Children (below compulsory school age) may not work during school hours on school days. Also, they may not to work before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. on any day. Work on a school day may not be for more than an hour before school. There are limitations on the number of hours children can work on school days and on weekends (between two and eight hours depending on age and whether it is term time) as well.
Rest breaks
Other rest break requirements exist for anyone under compulsory school age. Children may not work for more than four hours in a day without taking a break of at least one hour.
Pay
The rate of the national minimum wage is age dependent. There is a “young workers” rate (currently £4.81 per hour) for under 18s who are above compulsory school age, a “development” rate (currently £6.83 per hour) for 18- to 20-year-olds and a standard rate (currently £9.18 per hour) for workers aged 21 and 22. [Update: On 1 April 2023, after the original publication of this article, hourly rates of pay were increased. The young workers rate was raised to £5.28, the development rate was raised to £7.49 and the standard rate was raised to £10.18.] Different rates apply to apprentices. The national minimum wage does not apply to under 16s. National insurance is not applied to their pay and so their pay only needs to be processed through payroll if their total income exceeds their personal allowance.
In summary
Engaging and retaining young people in the hospitality sector has the potential to improve several short-term and long-term concerns around recruitment and the future workforce. In the push to engage young people, be mindful of the additional considerations and limitations around pay, hours and permits, particularly for those still at school.
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