With teens finishing high school for the year and entering summer break across New Jersey, many will have an easier time getting working papers – the documents needed before they can get a job – thanks to an online system that rolled out last year.

That system, which officially began last year, replaced the prior process, as school districts had to issue working papers for any teens under the age of 18 any time they wanted a job.

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

In essence, the law removes authority from schools to issue working papers and gives this authority to the Department of Labor, which will create a centralized database to register employers and minors

“The changes that have come to our state’s working papers process play an integral role in our mission to advocate for the protection and economic advancement of all Garden State workers – including the hard-working and capable younger members of our workforce,” New Jersey Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo said in a statement last week.

How to register for work papers

Employers will receive an eight-digit code when they register on the website, which they share with the minor that they hire. The state labor department noted that the teenager should have a job offer before they begin the paperwork process.

The minor will have to use the code to complete their part of the application.

Emails will prompt the employer and caregiver to complete their portion of the application — that includes uploading the minor’s birth certificate, passport or other official document to verify the minor’s age. An email will be sent out by the agency once the application has been approved or rejected.

Anyone who still needs physical working papers can download them from the agency’s website.

“The NJ Minor Working Papers Program is working effectively because it allows employers to fill jobs, appropriately staff operations and serve their customers while promoting a youth workforce with a skill set and opportunity to succeed,” said Linda Doherty, president and CEO of the New Jersey Food Council, a trade group for grocery stores.

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A controversial law on working papers for teens

The working papers feature is part of a much larger law Gov. Phil Murphy signed in 2022 amid labor shortages that allows teens to work longer – up to 50 hours – during the summer breaks.

That measure was hailed by business groups but criticized by parent advocates and labor experts.

Carmen Martino, a labor professor at Rutgers University, said previously that teens should not be required to work long hours without being aware of their rights in the workplace.

However, teens who apply for jobs this summer under the new law are unlikely to be aware of their rights and state lawmakers have neglected to enshrine that requirement in the law, he said.

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

Martino said many employers have good intentions, but many others in low-wage industries intentionally skirt the law and this will harm unsuspecting teenagers.

Mary Ann Koruth contributed to this article.

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

Email: munozd@northjersey.com; Twitter:@danielmunoz100 and Facebook

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: How to get your NJ working papers online and land a summer job