2024 Indiana Labor & Employment Year End Review

Chicago, Ill. (January 22, 2025) - The year 2024 proved to be a quiet year for Indiana when it came to developments in labor and employment law. The Hoosier state saw one significant piece of legislation, while the remainder of developments brought about only minor changes.

Indiana House Bill 1093: Revisions to Indiana’s Child Labor Laws

The most significant change to Indiana’s Labor & Employment laws comes by way of Indiana House Bill (“H.B.”) 1093. H.B. 1093 took effect on January 1, 2025 and rolls back certain statutory provisions aimed to regulate the conditions under which a minor is employed.

The new statutory scheme allows teens, who are 16 and 17, to work later and longer hours, removes a parental permission mandate previously required to work past 10 pm, and eliminates hazardous workplace protections for those working in agriculture. H.B. 1093 additionally expands categories of workers who are exempt from complying with the state’s laws on minor employment.

Going into 2025, Indiana employers should remain vigilant when employing minors, as the restrictions applied to the employment of minors aged 14 and 15 have not been subject to the same breadth of elimination as compared to those aged 16 and 17. Moreover, while H.B. 1093 loosened restrictions on assigning hazardous jobs to minors, federal regulations still apply. Indiana employers should pay particular attention to conflicts between state and federal law, and where federal law provides greater protection, employers generally should follow the federal law.

Indiana Senate Bill 148: Workforce Data Collection

While less of a sea change than H.B. 1093, Indiana employers should ensure they are in compliance with the new reporting requirements set out in Indiana Senate Bill (“S.B.”) 148. S.B. 148 became effective July 1, 2024 and amended Indiana’s new hire reporting law. There is a transition period built in through July 1, 2025 for employers to fully shift to the new formatting and additional data requirements. Under this amendment, the definition of a “newly hired employee” who is subject to the reporting requirement changed, as well as the types of data that must be reported. Since July 1, 2024, Indiana employers have been required to electronically report the following new data elements for “newly hired employees” to the Indiana New Hire Reporting Center - the employee’s: (1) current job title; (2) primary standardized occupational classification code; (3) starting compensation; and (4) rate of pay (hourly, annually, other).

Senate Bill 0015: Veterans Benefits & Services Poster

Also effective July 1, 2024, Indiana employers with more than 50 full-time employees must display the newly-created Veterans Benefits & Services Poster where it can be easily viewed by workers. The poster must include information regarding benefits and services that are offered to veterans, as well as the contact information for certain crisis lines and various departments relating to veteran services. The poster created by Indiana’s Department of Labor can be found here.

If you have any questions about these developments, contact the author or editor of this alert. For more information on Lewis Brisbois’ capabilities in this area, visit our Labor & Employment practice page.

Author:

Alexa Bradley, Associate

Editor:

Mary Smigielski, Partner and Midwest Regional Vice Chair of Labor & Employment Practice