Unpaid Internships Are Back With the Labor Department's Blessing
- New guidelines set a more flexible standard for employers
- Interns now must be the ‘primary beneficiaries’ of the program
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The U.S. Labor Department rolled out new guidelines last week that make it easier for companies that want to hire interns but don’t want to pay them.
The new rules establish a “primary beneficiary test” that ratifies programs that help the intern more than the company. Seven factors determine whether the gig meets the standard. One says internships should provide training that “would be similar to that which would be given in an educational environment.” Another says the intern’s job should complement, not displace, the work of paid employees.