Who is a young worker?

Malaysian's Employment Law defines a child as a person under 14 years of age and a young person as under 16. International Labor Organisation, via Minimum Age Convention 1973 sets a number of minimum ages depending on the type of employment or work. The first principle is that the minimum age should not be less than the age for completing compulsory schooling and in no event less than age 15. The second principle is that a higher minimum age should be set for hazardous work. This age may not be less than 18.



According to the Standard United Nations definition, 'youth' comprises young people aged between 15 to 24 years inclusive. The Confederation of Free Trade Unions-Asian and Pacific Regional Organization (ICFTU-APRO) defines Young Workers as a person between the age 15 to 35. The Malaysian government defines youths, as those between the age group 15 to 40 years while the Malaysian trade Union Congress (MTUC) says youth are those between 15 to 34. Thus for the purpose of this research, the researcher adopt the MTUC definition. If a person working part-time or full-time or searching for a job and the person is between 15 and 34 years of age, then he or she is considered to be a young worker.