More than one-third of young workers are exploited by their employers, according to a new study, with many paid less than the minimum wage, forbidden to take entitled breaks, compelled to pay for work-related items or given food and products instead of money. They are also more likely to be employed in insecure roles than experienced workers, raising fears of retaliation. The report notes that young workers are the “most likely to acquiesce to employer demands and the least able to accommodate additional expenses relating to their work”. Yolanda Robson, the director of the Victorian-based Young Workers Centre, said the report’s findings were “damning but not surprising”, and that high living costs were exacerbating the problem. “Young people are at the sharp edge of exploitation.”The centre, which offers free legal representation to young workers, routinely advises apprentices with bosses who have skipped out on paying their tuition and other fees.