Career and Job Search Help Blog

The Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) is a provincial statute, which sets out the minimum requirements for the employee/employer relationship in the Province of Ontario.

Here are some facts every Ontarian should know under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA):

• Employees are generally entitled to be paid at least 4 percent of their total wages earned as vacation pay.
• ESA doesn't apply to certain individuals and persons or organizations.  Check out the Special Rule Tool to see industries and jobs with exemptions or Special Rules.
• Under this act, most employees earn at least two weeks of vacation time after every twelve months.
• Most employees who qualify under this act can'take off 9 public holidays in Ontario from work and be paid public holiday pay.
• The General Minimum Wage Rate as of October 1, 2015 will be $11.25/per hour.
• "The maximum number of hours most employees can be required to work in a day is eight hours  or the number of hours in an established regular workday, if it is longer than eight hours.  The only way the daily maximum can be exceeded is by written agreement between the employee and employer." 
• If you are a foreign national and working as a live-in caregiver or looking for work as one in Ontario, you have certain rights under the EPFNA (The Employment Protection for Foreign Nationals Act (Live-in Caregivers and Others, 2009)

If you would like to find out more about some of these topics, consider attending a free program at North York Central Library – Auditorium.  The Ministry of Labour – Ontario will be discussing the Employment Standards Act in more detail.  Learn about various provisions of the act: minimum wage, hours of work, overtime, vacation with pay, public holiday, leaves of absences, termination, etc.

Program: Overview of Employment Standards Act

When:    Thursday September 17, 2015

For an indepth look at employment law, statues and regulations, visit the North York Central Library reference collection.