HR glossary · Safety, conduct and hours

Young workers (minimum working age)

Rules on the youngest age you can hire, the hours young people may work and the jobs they cannot do. Each province sets its own limits.

Also called: minimum working age, hiring teenagers, youth employment rules, child employment

What young workers means

Young worker rules set the youngest age at which a person can be employed and limit when and how teenagers can work. They usually cover three things: a minimum age (sometimes lower with a parent's written consent or for light work), limits on hours (not during school hours, not late at night, a cap on hours on school days), and a list of jobs or industries that are off limits until a certain age, such as construction, logging or work with dangerous machinery.

These rules matter a lot for small businesses that hire students: restaurants, retail, grocery, farms, golf courses and summer camps. They come from both employment standards law and health and safety law, so you may need to check two sources.

Young workers are also more likely to be hurt in their first months on a job. They may not know their rights, may not ask questions, and may not recognize a hazard. Good training and supervision matter as much as following the age rules.

How it works

Before you hire anyone under 18, look up your province's rules for that exact age. Check the minimum age for the type of work, whether a parent's or guardian's written consent is needed, the hours they may work on school days and during holidays, whether they can work late at night or alone, and which tasks or equipment they cannot use. Keep a record of each young worker's date of birth and any consent form.

Pay is generally the same minimum wage as adults, but check whether your province has a separate youth or student rate. Alberta, for example, has a separate minimum wage for students under 18.

Train and supervise more closely. Give young workers specific training on each task and its hazards before they start, show them how to report a concern and tell them clearly that they can refuse unsafe work. Pair them with an experienced worker for their first shifts. Do not leave them to close alone or to use equipment like slicers, fryers or ladders until they are trained and, where the law allows, old enough.

Common mistakes: hiring a 13-year-old friend's child for summer work without checking the age rules, scheduling a student past the late-night limit during exam season, and assigning a teenager to a restricted machine because the shop is short-staffed.

Young workers by province

Each province sets its own minimum age, hours limits and restricted jobs for young workers, and the rules can change by industry.

Where the work is done	The rule
Alberta	Students under 18 have a separate minimum wage rate from the general adult rate of $15.00 an hour.

We are still confirming each province's minimum working age, hours limits and restricted jobs for this page. Check your provincial employment standards and safety offices before hiring anyone under 18.

Example: Summer students at a garden centre

Ellen owns a garden centre in Sudbury, Ontario, and wants to hire three 15-year-olds for the summer. Before posting, she checks Ontario's minimum age rules for retail and for the greenhouse and yard work she has in mind, and finds that some yard tasks need an older worker.

She hires the students for the cash and plant care, keeps them off the forklift and the chemical storage area, and records their dates of birth. Each student shadows a senior employee for two shifts and signs off on training for every task. Ellen schedules them only during the hours the rules allow.

Onboarding checklists in Staffkin

Staffkin's onboarding checklists let you add age checks, consent forms and task-by-task training sign-offs for each young hire.

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Free tools and guides for this

Questions about young workers

What is the minimum age to work in Canada?

There is no single national age. Each province sets its own minimum, and it can be higher for some industries such as construction or factory work.

Do I pay teenagers the adult minimum wage?

Usually yes, but check whether your province has a separate rate for young or student workers. Alberta, for example, has one for students under 18.

Can a 15-year-old work alone in my store?

Check your province's rules first. Some restrict young workers working alone or late at night, and closing alone carries extra risk for any worker.

Official sources

Government of Alberta, Minimum wage

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.