Seasonal employee

A seasonal employee works only during part of the year, such as summer tourism or harvest. They keep employment standards rights during the season.

Also called: seasonal worker, seasonal staff, summer staff, returning seasonal employee

What seasonal employee means

A seasonal employee is someone hired to work during a particular season or period of the year, because the work only exists then: a summer camp, a ski hill, a harvest, a tourist attraction, or a holiday rush in retail.

Seasonal employees are employees. During the season, they are owed the same employment standards as anyone else: minimum wage, overtime, vacation pay and public holiday pay where they qualify. You run them through payroll with the usual deductions.

Many seasonal businesses rehire the same people each year. That loyalty is valuable, but it can raise questions about length of service, layoffs and recall. Being clear in writing at the start of each season avoids most of them.

How it works

Give a written offer for each season that sets out the start date, the expected end date or event ("until Thanksgiving weekend" or "until the harvest is in"), hours, pay and vacation pay. Say whether you expect to offer work again next season, without promising it if you cannot.

When the season ends, handle the end of work properly. Pay final wages by your province's deadline. Pay any vacation pay owed. Issue a Record of Employment (ROE) when the employee has had, or is expected to have, 7 consecutive days with no work and no insurable earnings. For an electronic ROE with weekly, biweekly or semi-monthly pay, it is due within 5 calendar days after the end of the pay period in which the interruption happens.

Notice rules for the end of a season depend on the province. Employment standards laws treat certain seasonal arrangements differently in each province, and the minimum notice owed once an employee passes the probation point (for example, 3 months in Ontario and Nova Scotia, or 6 months in New Brunswick and Yukon) may or may not apply when work ends with the season. Check with your provincial office, especially for employees who return year after year.

If you hire workers from abroad for seasonal farm work, the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program has its own rules, including an 8-month maximum and a work period between 1 January and 15 December.

Is it the same in every province?

Seasonal employees have the same employment standards rights as other employees in every province during the season. What differs is how each province treats the end of a season for notice purposes, so check your province's rules before the season ends.

Example: A whale-watching company closes for the winter

Callum runs a whale-watching tour company in Tadoussac, Quebec, with 18 seasonal staff from June to early October. Each spring, he sends returning staff a written offer with the season's dates and pay.

On the last day of the season, he pays final wages and vacation pay owed, and files electronic ROEs within 5 calendar days after the end of the final biweekly pay period. He tells staff he hopes to offer work again next June, but does not promise it in writing.

Hollis handles the exit checklist

When the season ends, Hollis, part of the Staffkin HR Suite, gives you the checklist for each departing employee: final pay timing, vacation pay owed and the ROE deadline.

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Questions about seasonal employee

Do seasonal employees get vacation pay?

Yes. Seasonal employees are employees, so vacation pay applies, usually at least 4% of wages, paid by your province's deadline when the season ends.

Do I issue a Record of Employment at the end of the season?

Yes, when the employee has had, or is expected to have, 7 consecutive days with no work and no insurable earnings.

Do seasonal employees get termination notice?

It depends on the province and the arrangement. Employment standards treat certain seasonal arrangements differently in each province, so check yours.

Is a returning seasonal employee's service continuous?

It can matter for some rules, and provinces treat it differently. Keep records of each season's start and end dates and check with your provincial office if service length affects an entitlement.

Official sources

General information for Canadian employers, not legal advice. Rules differ by province and territory and change over time, so check with your provincial employment standards office (or the federal Labour Program if you are federally regulated) before you rely on it. See employment standards by province.

Checked against official sources on 4 November 2026.