Determinants of child labor in the modern United States: Evidence from agricultural workers and their children and concerns for ongoing public policy

Current legislative proposals consider amendments to child labor laws for U.S. agriculture. Similar amendments, however, have been unsuccessful previously. Using the National Agricultural Workers Survey, we show that child labor is still substantial in the modern U.S. despite some decreases over time, and argue that the lack of success of recent child labor policy initiatives has left some young workers vulnerable. We use the limited data that are available to examine determinants of farm and off-farm child labor in the U.S. and to consider correlations between child labor and participation in educational and welfare programs at the family level. As a majority of literature on child labor stems from international contexts, this research lessens that gap by presenting the U.S. case from the perspective of a key industry sector while informing ongoing discussion pertaining to possible revisions of child labor laws and providing support for continued and expanded data collection.