- Статьи
- Society
- Teen roulette: new changes will not allow children to work in psychiatric clinics and alcohol markets
Teen roulette: new changes will not allow children to work in psychiatric clinics and alcohol markets
The Ministry of Labor proposed updating the list of jobs prohibited for people aged 14-18: now the ban covers almost 2,198 professions, but employers still circumvent the norms by changing the names of positions. The new draft order, published for public discussion, focuses not on lists of professions, but on specific types of jobs that are not available until the age of eighteen. Experts are discussing how effective the existing restrictions are, whether the age limit is outdated, how to prevent the "shadowing" of adolescent employment, and whether it is possible to expand the list of permitted professions for minors. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
What is new in the regulation of adolescent labor
New initiatives by government agencies in the field of juvenile labor protection are designed to close loopholes that employers have long used to circumvent direct prohibitions. The draft departmental order of the Ministry of Labor, which is currently undergoing public discussion, significantly changes the logic of regulation: it is now planned to start not from a set of professions, but from specific types of work directly related to risks.
— The Russian Ministry of Labor has proposed to improve approaches to the labor protection of minors, — said the press service of the Ministry. — In particular, it is proposed to highlight the list of jobs where the work of minors is prohibited. The current model, when professions are named in the list, allows you to circumvent the ban by changing the name of the position. Naming the works will actually exclude the possibility of involving minors in such activities.
The basic principles of labor safety for underage workers are established by the Labor Code. In accordance with article 265, the document establishes a complete ban on minors working in harmful, dangerous and underground work, as well as in work harmful to health and morals. For example, casinos, saunas, bars, drug dispensaries, hunting farms and alcohol markets will not work. The new order is a by-law, that is, it does not and cannot change these norms, but specifies the procedure for the operation of these restrictions, the Ministry of Labor explained.
Previously, they were established by a list of professions. Now, given the lack of regulatory regulation of the correspondence of the profession name to the essence of labor functions, it is proposed to switch from listing professions to a list of types of work in which minors cannot be involved.
The new list will enter into force on September 1, 2026.
A new approach was born of interagency cooperation: a wide range of experts, government institutions and industry associations participated in the development of the document.
Criteria for the new list
As part of the reform, the range of criteria by which work is defined as prohibited for persons under the age of 18 is significantly expanded. Special attention is paid to the types of activities associated with harmful and dangerous working conditions, the inability to conduct a full-fledged risk assessment, as well as work that negatively affects mental health and moral development.
In total, the new list includes 67 types of work. They are divided into several key categories, including work with harmful working conditions, work without a special assessment of working conditions, work that may harm health and moral development, as well as work with a high risk of injury and underground work.
Thus, the state declares that teenagers will be able to continue working, but only where there are no harmful factors, and the origin and content of duties are transparently reflected in the job description. If the standards are not followed, employers will be subject to administrative and even criminal articles.
Working in the shadows
Despite regulatory efforts, experts point to persistent patterns of circumvention of formal rules. In conditions of weak state control, teenagers continue to be attracted to "gray" employment, often without real agreements and registration.
— The Labor Code establishes strict restrictions on the employment of persons under the age of 18. The law explicitly prohibits the use of children and adolescents in harmful and hard work, as well as in those that may harm their physical, psychological or moral development," emphasizes Alexey Bezyukov, Chief Technical Labor Inspector of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia (FNPR). — Nevertheless, employers often violate these requirements by recruiting teenagers to work in the "gray", without registration of employment relations.
He cites both lack of awareness and the difficult financial situation of families as the main reasons, as well as the small scale of offending enterprises, which makes supervision difficult. As a result, the gray segment of adolescent employment is not disciplined by law, and control by government agencies remains ineffective.
But there are other aspects. Both low pay and emotional abuse in an employment relationship are inherently a form of exploitation. Each of these problems carries its own difficulties and risks for a young specialist, but the main thing that will distinguish them is the consequences, says Tatiana Morozova, a consultant psychologist and expert at the Psychodemia online school of psychological professions.
According to her, psychological violence towards a teenager in an employment relationship can be expressed in the forms of gaslighting ("Your generation is just too sensitive," "No one said a bad word in your direction. It just seems to you that these are some special requirements. That's how everyone works"), systematic depreciation of his work ("What are you doing here?", "Anyone could do your job, but you have a mistake on a mistake...") and other forms of manipulation. The consequences of this form of exploitation are more dangerous and insidious, especially for teenagers, as their brains are more plastic and they are in that period of psychological development when "patterns" and norms of building relationships in the future are only being laid, the specialist said.
Prospects for expanding the legal space
The discussion of the reform is naturally accompanied by the question: is it possible, while maintaining high safety standards, to provide more legal vacancies to young Russians without the risk of harm to their health?
Stakeholders agree that a certain differentiation of acceptable types of work is necessary — reliance on modern professions, digital competencies and new technological solutions can remove some of the previous restrictions.
This proposal is very relevant and is designed to guarantee the genuine safety of young people, not the appearance of its observance. The age limit of 18 remains relevant, since the goal is not to ban teenagers from taking the first steps in work, but to exclude them from areas with serious health threats, Russian Senator Igor Murog notes.
"At the same time, it is necessary not only to increase the criminalization of companies for violations and supervision, but also to create options for "safe" vacancies — school practices, volunteerism, IT projects, art studios," he explains.
Market requirements for young people
Experts emphasize the high interest of young people in formal employment and their willingness to perform a wide range of tasks if they meet the safety criteria.
"Our research shows that young people demonstrate a very high level of responsibility and willingness to work: 91% of young Russians are confident that they need to make efforts to succeed, 81% are ready to start their careers from the most prestigious starting positions," says Guzelia Imayeva, General Director of the NAFI Analytical Center. — This means that young people are ready to perform a wide range of tasks, if these tasks are safe and appropriate for their age — from IT assistants to digital service operators.
Additionally, she notes the growing talent potential among girls, especially in engineering and manufacturing industries, where early career guidance and real-life examples of successful women in the profession are becoming increasingly important.
At the same time, according to Imayeva, the modern high-tech industry can create jobs even for teenagers, minimizing health risks.
Legalization of labor: from "profession" to "work"
The transition to regulating adolescent labor through a list of types of work, rather than professions, will allow employers to officially accept minors only in safe and modern positions. This approach, according to the professional community, opens up a wide field for the legalization of youth labor in areas where harmful and dangerous factors are completely absent.
Experts agree that although the industrial sector leaves a minimum of space for young people due to physical risks, the digital economy, IT and remote forms of employment are becoming areas of greatest opportunity for legal and productive participation of teenagers in the economic life of the country.
Responsibilities and priorities
The regulator's key priority in carrying out the reform remains the health and safety of the future generation, and this requires a balanced system of supervision and responsible attitude of employers.
— The age from 14 to 18 years is a period of active growth, formation of the body, and any exposure to harmful factors can have consequences for years to come. If the health of adolescents is not protected now, the country will face even more serious demographic problems in the future. Therefore, the approach to reviewing the list of professions is extremely balanced," Alexey Bezyukov emphasizes.
This position is supported by both lawmakers and the expert community, and the introduction of the new system is intended to become a starting point for the legalization of safe youth employment and the formation of new standards for the youth labor market.
Balance of interests and control
Ultimately, the government's efforts come down to finding a balance between the need to increase the protection of young people from harmful and dangerous influences and the opportunity to provide them with the starting opportunities to build a professional path. It is important that the new bans do not push young people into the gray zone of the labor market, but encourage employers to create safe and promising jobs.
— In general, it is advisable to include modern professions that are not associated with risk in the "green" list: work in digital laboratories, automated sites, participation in engineering projects, internships in STEM fields, the roles of technical assistants, operators of equipment that does not require physical exertion. The technological efficiency of production today makes it possible to make many processes safe even for teenagers," states Guzelia Imayeva.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
