Western Siberia of the end of XIX — the beginning of the XX century, as well as Russia, observed a tendency of involvement of children and teenagers into production activity, which resulted from the severe material need. Despite lower salary of children compared with adults, it contributed a lot into the family budget. The period under study is characterized with the growth of quantity and specific weight of children among workers. It turned out to be consequence of low cost of child labor which often resulted in loss of health and high mortality among those who began work in the childhood. Besides, the industrial revolution which started in Siberia in all branches of economy did not create the sufficient level of technological development to reduce child labor. The economic situation which developed in the years of World War I also considerably promoted the growing use of child labor in production. A specific feature of Siberia is considered to be a bigger, in comparison with European Russia, specific weight of children among workers which was a consequence of generally weak control of the working legislation on child labor.