The North Carolina Wage and Hour Act does not require mandatory rest breaks or meal breaks for employees 16 years of age or older. Neither federal nor North Carolina labor laws require employers to give employees rest or meal breaks if they are over the age of 16.North Carolina employers aren't legally required to give lunch breaks or rest breaks. By Lisa Guerin, J.D. UC Berkeley School of Law. North Carolina law does not require mandatory meal breaks or rest breaks for employees who are age 16 or older. Employers in North Carolina are not required to provide rest breaks or meal breaks for employees aged 16 and older. Employees under 16 years are required to receive a 30minute break after every five hours of work. Workers have a right to at least a 30minute meal break or each 6 hours worked in a calendar day. Employers must provide a minimum 30-minute break after any period of five consecutive hours of work. State law mandates that employees under 16 be given a 30 minute meal break if they have worked five hours or more.