美国劳动合规要点 Labor Compliance Keys in the United States

前言
随着全球化深入发展，企业在多国拓展业务时，跨境劳动合规已成为最复杂严峻的挑战之一。为帮助企业系统应对这一难题，我们携手全球50余个主要司法管辖区的顶尖劳动法律师（均获钱伯斯、The Legal 500或同等机构推荐），共同编撰了超过100万字的中英文劳动用工合规指南，将持续更新相关要点。
With the deepening of globalization, when enterprises expand their business in multiple countries, cross-border labor compliance has become one of the most complex and severe challenges. To help enterprises systematically address this issue, we have collaborated with top labor lawyers from over 50 major jurisdictions worldwide (all recommended by Chambers, The Legal 500, or equivalent institutions) to jointly compile a Chinese-English labor & employment compliance guide exceeding 1 million words, and we will continuously update relevant key points.
本文刊载了截至2025年9月的美国劳动用工合规要点。
This article publishes the key points of labor & employment compliance by September 2025 in the United States.
01、劳动法体系概述 Overview of the Labor Law System
1.法律体系 Legal System
在联邦制框架下，雇佣关系往往同时受到多层级法律的约束。在任何具体情形中，雇主可能需要就同一事项同时遵守联邦、州以及地方的法律规定。
Under the federalist system, the employment relationship is often subject to overlapping legal authorities. In any given case, an employer may need to comply with federal, state, and local laws on the same subject.
2.资源与机构 Resources and Agencies
以下为适用于全美范围、规制雇佣关系的主要联邦法律清单：
The following is a list of major federal laws that govern the employment relationship across the country:
• 联邦反歧视与反骚扰法；
Federal Discrimination and Harassment Laws;
• 联邦工资与工时法；
Federal Wage and Hour Statutes;
• 联邦雇员休假法；
Federal Employee Leave Laws;
• 联邦雇员福利法；
Federal Employee Benefit Laws;
• 联邦移民法；
Federal Immigration Laws;
• 联邦大规模裁员法。
Federal Mass Layoff Laws.
02、雇佣资格与用工分类 Employment Qualifications and Classification
1.雇佣年龄 Employment Age
在美国，大多数非农业工作的法定最低就业年龄通常为14岁，这一标准主要由《公平劳动标准法》确立。美国法律一般不设强制退休年龄，在多数情形下，雇主若设定固定退休年龄，可能构成基于年龄的歧视。
In the United States, the minimum working age is generally 14 years old for most non-agricultural jobs, as established by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). There is no mandatory retirement age, and, in most instances, the imposition of a retirement age would be considered age discrimination.
2.外国企业用工资质 Qualifications for Foreign Employers
是否需要设立独立的美国实体以雇佣员工、以及应采用何种法律形式，通常取决于税务考量、公司希望在美国市场呈现的方式，以及以何种安排最便于确保公司能够履行雇主在雇佣、社会保障及税务法方面的全部义务。
The question of whether a separate U.S. company should be set up in order to hire workers and, if so, in which legal form, largely depends upon tax considerations, how the company wants to present itself on the U.S. market, and what is the most practical way to ensure the company meets all employer obligations with regards to employment, social security, and tax law.
3.雇佣类型 Classification of Employment
在美国雇佣法中，“雇员”的定义并不统一，而是会随着适用的法域（联邦与/或具体州）以及所执行的法律类型而变化。例如，《公平劳动标准法》对“雇用”的定义是“允许或默许其工作”。
The term employee is defined in U.S. employment law in a number of different ways, depending on the jurisdiction (federal and/or a particular state) and the type of law being enforced. The FLSA, for example, defines the term employ as “suffer or permit to work.”
4.外国工作者 Foreign Workers
在外国人能够在美国工作之前，可能需要取得下列签证之一：
Before a foreign national can work in the United States, one of the following visas may be required:
• H-1B签证：专业职业；
H-1B Visa: Specialty Occupation;
• H-2B签证：非农业领域短缺行业的临时岗位；
H-2B Visa: Temporary Positions in Shortage Occupations;
• H-3签证：受训人员；
H-3 Visa: Trainee;
• L-1与L-2签证；
L-1 and L-2 Visas;
• 一揽子L签证；
Blanket L Visa;
• O-1签证：杰出才能。
Visa: Extraordinary Ability.
03、招聘与劳动合同 Recruitment and Employment Contracts
1.背景调查 Background Examination
一般而言，美国在招聘申请阶段允许且普遍使用背景调查，前提是雇主已向申请人提供符合法律要求的告知，说明将获取背景调查，并且申请人已授权。但背景调查所包含的某些特定信息可能受到联邦法或州法的额外限制。
Generally, background checks are permitted and widely used in the United States during the application process, provided that the applicant has been given a legally compliant disclosure that the background checks will be obtained and has authorized them. However, specific information that may be contained in background checks may have additional restrictions under federal or state law.
2.合同类型 Contract Types
在美国，雇主并不被要求与雇员签订书面劳动合同。因此，除高级管理人员与销售人员等岗位外，书面劳动合同较为少见。相反，许多美国雇员要么基于口头雇佣安排工作，要么仅有一份所谓的“录用函”——其效果相当于形成一种非正式的劳动合同，但在特定情形下仍可能具有约束力。
In the United States, employers are not required to enter into written employment contracts with employees. Therefore, written employment contracts are rare, except for senior executives and salespeople. Instead, many U.S. workers either work under an oral employment arrangement or else have a so-called “offer letter”―in effect, creating an informal employment contract, which nonetheless, under certain circumstances can be binding.
3.试用期 Probationary Period
试用期是否允许，取决于具体州法、行业惯例，以及雇员是否属于工会成员并受集体谈判协议约束。
Whether probationary periods are allowed depends on the state, industry, and whether the employee is part of a union and subject to a collective bargaining agreement.
04、工作标准 Working Standards
1.薪酬 Remuneration
美国工资制度的核心联邦法律是《公平劳动标准法》，其确立了联邦层面的最低工资与加班工资的基本标准。与此同时，各州法律还可能在此基础上设定额外要求。
The primary law governing wages in the United States is the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The FLSA sets basic minimum wage and overtime pay standards. State laws may establish additional requirements.
2.工时 Working Hours
联邦法通常不设定雇员每日或每周可工作的绝对时长上限，但部分州法会要求：雇员每周应享有至少一天休息日，并且对“连续工作第七天”的工作支付加成工资。
While federal law does not place any daily or weekly limits on the amount of time an employee can work, some states require that employees be given a day of rest each week and/or that employees be compensated at a premium rate for work performed on the seventh consecutive day of work.
3.休息与休假 Rest and Leave
联邦法一般不强制规定雇主必须提供日常的休息或用餐休息时间，联邦层面主要的例外是哺乳休息时间相关的强制要求。但在州法层面，许多州对休息与用餐休息设有强制规定。
Under federal law, there are no required general rest or meal break periods, except for required lactation break periods. There are numerous state laws, however, that require rest and meal breaks.
05、职业健康与特别保护 Occupational Health and Special Protection
1.职业健康与安全 Occupational Health and Security
根据联邦《职业安全与健康法》及其配套法规，雇主承担若干法定义务，包括：
Employers have several obligations under the Fed-OSH Act regulations including:
• 提供安全与健康的工作场所；
Providing a Safe and Healthy Workplace;
• 张贴联邦职业安全与健康管理局规定的告示；
Posting the Required Poster from Fed-OSHA;
• 遵守联邦《职业安全与健康法》及适用的州级具体标准。
Complying with Specific Fed-OSH Act and Applicable State Standards.
06、个人信息与隐私 Personal Information and Privacy
1.一般规定 General Rules
美国目前不存在一部统一、全面的联邦层面数据隐私法，用于系统性保护雇员或求职者的个人数据。不过，联邦层面仍有若干成文法与监管规则针对数据隐私与保护的特定领域作出规定。
There is no comprehensive federal data privacy law in the United States that protects the personal data of employees or job applicants. However, there are a number of federal statutes and regulations that address specific aspects of data privacy and protection.
2.跨国传输 Transnational Transfer
在不存在因信息性质而产生的特定联邦或州层面限制的情况下，个人数据在集团内或跨主体的转移一般是允许的。
Transfers are freely permitted unless there are particular federal or state restrictions based on the nature of the information.
07、反歧视与反骚扰 Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment
无论属于差别待遇还是差别影响，歧视均属违法：
Discrimination is unlawful whether through disparate treatment or disparate impact:
• 差别待遇是指因个人属于受保护群体而被区别对待；
Disparate treatment occurs when an individual is treated differently based on the individual’s membership in a protected class;
• 差别影响是指表面中立的雇佣政策或做法在缺乏充分业务正当性的情况下，对受保护群体产生不利影响。
Disparate impact occurs when a seemingly neutral employment policy or practice has an adverse impact upon a protected class without sufficient business justification.
08、内部政策 Internal Policies
1.适用性 Applicability
在实践中，雇主普遍会制定并发放《雇员手册》，以载明公司的内部政策，并在雇员入职时提供。雇主须确保对手册的执行具有一致性，否则可能因差别对待或选择性执行而引发歧视主张。
It is common practice for employers to adopt a handbook, which contains the company’s policies and is provided to employees at hire. Employers must take care in consistently implementing the handbook, or run the risk of a discrimination claim.
2.有效性 Validity
通常情况下，雇主制定《雇员手册》并不需要取得雇员同意。但若雇员已加入工会，雇主制定或调整手册内容必须符合适用的集体谈判协议及相关法律要求。
Generally, employee consent is not required to adopt a handbook. However, where the employees are unionized, the employer will have to adopt the handbook consistent with requirements of the applicable collective bargaining agreement and law.
3.举报 Whistleblowing
一般而言，联邦与州层面的反歧视法律都包含“反报复”条款。该类条款保护雇员：当其就职场中自身遭受或目睹的歧视或骚扰提出投诉时，免受雇主采取报复性用工措施。
Generally, federal and state anti-discrimination laws contain anti-retaliation provisions. These laws protect employees from retaliatory employment actions when they complain about discrimination or harassment that they themselves suffered or observed in the workplace.
09、雇佣关系终止 Termination of Employment
1.终止理由 Termination Grounds
除蒙大拿州外，各州普遍适用“任意雇佣”原则，即任何一方均可在任何时间终止雇佣关系，无需提前通知，也无需说明理由。
Every state except Montana provides that employment is considered at-will, which means that the employment relationship can be terminated by either party at any time, with or without advance notice, and with or without a reason.
对于已工会化的雇主而言，解雇通常须依据集体谈判协议满足“正当解雇事由”标准。许多集体谈判协议也允许雇主实施裁员，并对裁员的适用情形或具体程序作出约定。
For unionized employers, terminations usually require “just cause” according to the collective bargaining agreement. Many collective bargaining agreements permit employers to conduct layoffs, and specify circumstances or procedures for doing so.
2.终止程序 Termination Procedure
除非雇主在个别劳动合同或集体谈判协议中约定了相应程序性要求，否则解雇雇员在美国一般不存在法定的程序性前置条件。不过，许多州要求雇主在解雇雇员时向其提供与医疗保险福利以及失业保险福利资格相关的信息。
There are no procedural requirements for dismissing an employee unless the employer has contractually agreed to such procedures in individual employment or collectively bargained agreements. Many states require, however, that terminated employees be provided with information relating to their medical insurance benefits and eligibility for unemployment compensation insurance benefits.
3.遣散费与补偿金 Severance and Compensation
在雇佣关系终止时，雇员应获得截至其最后工作日已赚取的全部工资。根据雇员的佣金协议和奖金计划条款，这通常也包括在解雇前已赚取但尚未支付的全部佣金与奖金。
Upon termination, employees are required to be paid all wages they have earned through their last date of employment. Depending upon the terms of the employee’s commission agreement and/or bonus plan, this generally will include all unpaid commissions and bonuses earned prior to the employee’s dismissal.
在一般意义上的小规模解雇情形下，联邦与州层面一般不存在要求雇主向雇员支付遣散费的法律规定。
There are no federal or state laws requiring severance pay to employees in the typical small-scale dismissal of employment.
4.不当解除 Wrongful Termination
如果法院认定雇主实施了违法解雇，雇主可能需要承担让雇员复职、补发工资以及其他补偿性损害赔偿的责任，并且还可能被判处惩罚性损害赔偿。后者金额可能高达数百万美元。法官与陪审团在多大程度上会向被违法解雇的雇员判给高额赔偿，主要取决于案件所在地，以及案件由联邦法院还是州法院审理。
If a court finds that an employer conducted a wrongful termination, the employer may be liable for reinstatement, backpay and other compensatory damages, and punitive damages, the latter of which can amount to millions of dollars. The degree to which judges and juries are likely to award a wrongly terminated employee high damages depends largely on the location, and whether the court is federal or state.
5.大规模裁员 Mass termination and Layoffs
当雇主在短时间内终止大量雇员的雇佣关系时，若满足特定条件，联邦与州层面均可能要求雇主提前发出解雇通知。一般而言，《工人调整与再培训通知法》要求拥有100名或以上全职雇员的雇主，在发生“工厂关闭”或“大规模裁员”并涉及50名或以上雇员且达到其他门槛时，须在事件发生前60天向受影响雇员发出通知。
When a large number of employees will be terminated in a short period of time, there are both federal and state laws that require advance notice of the dismissals if certain criteria are satisfied. The WARN Act generally requires employers with 100 or more full-time employees to give 60 days’ notice to the affected employees, prior to a “plant closing” or a “mass layoff” of 50 or more employees, if other thresholds are reached.
10、保密、竞业限制和禁止招揽 Confidentiality, Non-Compete, and Non-Solicitation
1.保密 Confidentiality
多项联邦法与州法为商业秘密和机密商业信息提供保护。在联邦层面，《计算机欺诈与滥用法》禁止未经授权访问受保护计算机，或超越授权范围获取信息、造成损害或实施欺诈。
Various federal and state laws protect trade secrets and confidential business information. Under federal law, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act prohibits accessing a protected computer without authorization or exceeding authorization to obtain information, causing damages or perpetrating fraud.
在州法层面，许多州制定了保护商业秘密与机密商业信息的成文法。此外，不少州还发展出可供雇主主张的普通法诉因，以应对雇员或前雇员挪用机密或专有商业信息的情形。
Many states have legislation to protect trade secrets and confidential business information. Many states also have common law causes of action that can be used by employers when employees or former employees misappropriate confidential and proprietary business information.
2.竞业限制和禁止招揽 Non-Compete and Non-Solicitation
一般而言，在美国，离职后限制性竞业条款若在期限、地域范围与受限行为方面均作出“狭窄且必要”的限定，并且服务于正当的商业目的，则更可能被法院认定为可执行。但其可执行性高度依赖具体事实，且在美国法院中经常成为诉讼争议焦点。
Generally, post-employment restrictive covenants in the United States are likely enforceable if they are narrowly tailored as to time, geographic scope and prohibited activity, and also have a legitimate business purpose. Whether or not a covenant is enforceable is a fact-specific inquiry and is often litigated before U.S. courts.
11、员工代表与工会 Work Representation and Trade Unions
1.员工代表 Work Representation
美国承认劳动者享有加入工会的权利，但美国法不承认“职工委员会”制度。
The United States recognizes the right of a worker to join a union. (Works councils are not recognized under U.S. law.)
2.工会 Trade Unions
工会化带来的一个重大差异在于：雇主通常不得再就某些雇佣条款与条件进行单方变更，即不得在未与工会协商谈判的情况下自行变更。雇主与工会双方均负有善意协商的义务，以期达成集体谈判协议。
A major difference that comes with unionization is that an employer generally may no longer change certain terms and conditions of employment, i.e., without negotiating with the union. Both the employer and union have a duty to bargain in good faith to attempt to reach a collective bargaining agreement.
工会通常会提出将若干雇员权利纳入集体协议，例如：相较于“任意雇佣”，要求雇主仅能基于“正当理由”解雇；建立申诉与仲裁程序；以及其他工作保障与福利。
Unions propose rights for employees to be included in the collective bargaining agreement, such as the right to be terminated for “just cause” rather than “at will,” a grievance and arbitration procedure, and other job protections and benefits.
12、争议解决 Dispute Resolution
1.程序与执行 Procedures & Enforcement
就业争议往往会引发诉讼，争议解决通常在政府机构，例如平等就业机会委员会或法院进行。许多雇主要求雇员签署强制仲裁协议，在该等安排下，双方必须将就业争议提交至私人仲裁，从而避免在法院提起诉讼。
Employment disputes often lead to litigation, which are resolved either before government agencies like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or in courts. Many employers require employees to sign mandatory arbitration agreements, under which the parties are required to submit the employment dispute to private arbitration and thus avoid litigation in court.
在工会化雇主中，几乎所有集体谈判协议都设有程序，要求雇员就其针对雇主的大多数不当解雇主张必须通过仲裁解决。
Among unionized employers, almost all collective bargaining agreements have procedures where employees must arbitrate most of their wrongful termination claims against their employer.
2.放弃权利与执行 Waiver & Enforcement
一般而言，雇员可以同意放弃针对潜在劳动雇佣争议的权利主张。然而，雇员不能对尚未发生的行为或不作为所产生的请求权进行事前放弃。
Generally, an employee can agree to waive rights to potential employment claims. However, an employee cannot prospectively waive claims based on acts or omissions that have not yet occurred.
13、其他 Others
1.最新发展与趋势 Latest Development & Trends
在美国开展人力资源管理时，忽视“任意雇佣”制度可能带来意外影响。美国是唯一实行任意雇佣制度的国家。任意雇佣具有若干不同寻常的特征。
English: Managing human resources (HR) while overlooking the unexpected ramifications of at-will employment in America. America is the only country with an at-will employment system. At-will employment has several unusual features.
2.文化与宗教考虑 Cultural and Religious Considerations
在美国经营的境外总部雇主，常见误区是向美国求职者提供过于正式、过于细节化的劳动合同，从而不必要地限制了雇主未来进行用工调整或变更的灵活性。从国际视角看，“非正式的录用函”可能显得反常，但在美国的人力资源语境下，它反而是更为理想的做法。
Employers headquartered overseas operating in the United States are prone to the mistake of giving U.S. job applicants overly formal, overly detailed employment contracts that restrict the employer’s flexibility to make changes going forward. The informal offer letter, unusual as it may seem from an international perspective, is ideal for the context of American HR.