How to Upload Your New Jersey Employment Documents Online and Land a Summer Job

Lina Portman2 weeks ago

0 2 minutes read

As teens finish high school for the year and enter summer vacation in New Jersey, many will have an easier time obtaining employment papers – the documents needed before they can find a job – thanks to a online system deployed last year.

This system, which officially began last year, replaced the previous process because school districts had to issue employment documents to any teenager under 18 every time they wanted a job.

Now, teens can register directly with the state Department of Labor, one time, through a new online system called MyWorkingPapers.nj.gov, the state agency announced in a reminder last week .

Essentially, the law takes away the power from schools to issue employment documents and gives that power to the Ministry of Labor, which will create a centralized database to register employers and minors.

“Changes to our state’s workpaper process play a critical role in our mission to advocate for the protections and economic advancement of all Garden State workers – including young members of our workforce hard-working and capable workers,” the New Jersey Labor Party said. Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo said in a statement last week.

How to register for working papers

Employers will receive an eight-digit code when they register on the website, which they will share with the minor they hire. The state Department of Labor noted that the teen should have a job offer before beginning paperwork.

The minor must use the code to complete their part of the application file.

The emails will prompt the employer and caregiver to complete their portion of the application, which includes uploading the minor's birth certificate, passport, or other official document to verify the minor's age. An email will be sent by the agency once the request is approved or rejected.

Anyone who still needs physical working documents can download them from the agency's website.

“The NJ Minor Working Papers program works effectively because it allows employers to fill positions, staff operations appropriately, and serve their customers while promoting a young workforce with a broad skill set and opportunities for success,” said Linda Doherty, president and CEO of The New York Times. Jersey Food Council, a trade group for grocery stores.

Business Weeds and work: New Jersey has yet to launch a key tool, putting employers in a bind

A controversial law on work papers for adolescents

These working papers are part of a much larger law signed by Governor Phil Murphy in 2022 amid a labor shortage, which allows teenagers to work longer hours – up to 50 hours – during summer holidays.

The move was praised by business groups but criticized by parent advocates and labor experts.

Carmen Martino, a labor professor at Rutgers University, has previously said that teenagers should not be forced to work long hours without knowing their rights in the workplace.

However, teens applying for jobs this summer under the new law are unlikely to know their rights and state lawmakers have neglected to write the requirement into law, he said.

“The assumption here is that a 16- to 18-year-old knows what falls under the Fair Labor Standards Act and they're supposed to get overtime after 40 hours,” Martino said. “It's in the law and it's what employers are supposed to do. But we're making a lot of assumptions here.

Martino said many employers have good intentions, but many others in low-wage industries intentionally skirt the law, harming unsuspecting teens.

Mary Ann Koruth contributed to this article.

Daniel Munoz covers business, consumerism, labor and the economy for NorthJersey.com and The Record.

E-mail: [email protected]; Twitter:@danielmunoz100 and Facebook

How to register for working papers

A controversial law on work papers for adolescents

Lina Portman

Related Articles

Oprah Winfrey Announces Summer Reading Pick After Missing TV Spot Due to Illness

Pennsylvania police seek help in case of unidentified 38-year-old near state border

Teen charged with murder in Kannapolis, North Carolina

Goodyear police find body of missing woman in desert