PRESS RELEASE 13 March 1998

Invisible hands - children at work

A major new report on child employment, published today by the Low Pay Unit, lifts the veil on the invisible workforce of children in Britain.

The report, Invisible hands, focuses on ten to 16 year old school children in North Tyneside. It found:

• Children as young as ten are working - one in 12 have paid jobs.
• This figure increases to one in three by age 15.
• A third of all working children have more than one job.

They don't just deliver newspapers. They work in hairdressing, butcher's and clothes shops, hotels, cafes, restaurants, petrol stations, factories, door-to-door selling - in short, almost anywhere adults work, but for a fraction of their pay, and usually illegally. Their health and safety is often at risk.

• A 15 year old girl works 29 hours a week in a café.
• A 15 year old boy works 35 hours a week on a building site.
• A 14 year old boy works 12 hours a week delivering newspapers for 48p an hour.
• Almost half the children surveyed had had an injury at work in the previous year.

The report also found that, on average, girls work longer hours than boys and earn more - £2.19 an hour compared to £1.93.

Bharti Patel, director of the Low Pay Unit, commented:
"This survey shows that huge numbers of children are working - and not just in traditional 'children's jobs'. Older children especially are doing adult work but for a fraction of adult pay. We want children to have a positive experience of work, without exploitation or risk to their health or education. We welcome the government's review of child employment and look forward to improvements in legislation."

For further information call Bharti Patel or Catherine O'Donnell on 0171 713 7616 or 0336 730 724