@EdWorkingPaper{ai25-1302,
title = "Contemporary Child Labor and Declining School Attendance in the U.S.",
author = "Lucy C. Sorensen, Melissa Arnold Lyon, Ji Hyun Byeon, Stephen B. Holt",
institution = "Annenberg Institute at Brown University",
number = "1302",
year = "2025",
month = "October",
URL = "http://www.edworkingpapers.com/ai25-1302",
abstract = {The United States has experienced a 400% increase in reported child labor violations over the past decade, coinciding with declines in K-12 school attendance and enrollment. We examine the causal relationships between these patterns with microdata from the American Community Survey (ACS) from 2005 to 2023. Using a shift-share instrumental variable approach, our findings show that increased local demand for illegal child labor leads to higher youth employment in high-violation industries, longer work hours, and lower school attendance, particularly among Black youth and youth living on farms. A 10-percentage-point increase in the local share of employment in high child labor violation industries leads to a 7-percentage-point decline in public school attendance for children and youth aged 6 to 17. Results underscore the need to reevaluate labor protections and strengthen enforcement to prevent economic pressures from pulling vulnerable, young students away from school.},
}