How Old Do You Have to Be to Work in Canada?

How old you have to be to work in Canada depends on where you live and what kind of job you want. Most provinces let young people start work somewhere between ages 12 and 16, usually with parental consent and sometimes a permit, while the federal government sets the minimum at 18 for the industries it regulates directly. There is no single national age because employment standards are mostly a provincial and territorial matter.

The Federal Minimum Is 18

If a job falls under federal jurisdiction, the Canada Labour Code applies rather than the provincial rules. Federally regulated industries include banking, telecommunications, interprovincial transportation, postal services, and airlines. As of June 12, 2023, the minimum age for federally regulated employment rose from 17 to 18.¹

Workers under 18 can still hold federally regulated jobs, but only in occupations specified by regulation and only under conditions those regulations set.² The worker cannot be required by provincial law to attend school during working hours, the job cannot be likely to endanger their health or safety, they cannot work underground in a mine or in roles prohibited under explosives or nuclear safety regulations, and they cannot be scheduled between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.¹

Minimum Ages by Province and Territory

Most young Canadians work in provincially regulated jobs like retail, restaurants, and recreation. Each region sets its own floor, and the rules vary considerably.

Alberta

Children 12 and under can work only in artistic endeavors, which requires a permit from the Director of Employment Standards along with parental consent.³ At 13 and 14, permitted jobs open up to include retail clerk, newspaper delivery, light janitorial work, food service, coaching, and tutoring. Parental consent is required for every job, and a permit is needed for anything outside the approved list.⁴ At 15, most restrictions ease, though some nighttime supervision rules still apply in retail and hospitality.

British Columbia

Workers 16 and older can be hired under standard employment rules with no special permissions. At 14 and 15, a young person can do “light work” with written parental consent and no permit; anything beyond light work needs a permit from the Employment Standards Branch. Children under 14 always need both parental consent and a government-issued permit. Regardless of age, workers under 16 must be directly supervised by someone at least 19 years old.⁵

Manitoba

The effective minimum age is 13. Anyone 13, 14, or 15 must complete the Young Worker Readiness Certificate Course and obtain a Certificate of Completion signed by a parent or guardian before starting work. Restrictions on hours and types of jobs also apply.⁶

New Brunswick

There is no hard minimum age, but hiring anyone under 16 requires authorization from the Employment Standards Branch. Workers under 16 cannot be placed in environments likely to be harmful to their health, welfare, or development. Children under 14 are additionally barred from forestry, construction, industrial work, automotive service, hospitality, and theatre or dance hall employment.⁷

Newfoundland and Labrador

The Labour Standards Act restricts employment of anyone under 16. An employer must get written consent from a parent or guardian before hiring a young worker under 16, and the child’s age must be recorded. Workers under 16 cannot hold jobs likely to be harmful to their health or development, and cannot work during hours that interfere with school attendance. Children under 14 may only work in occupations specifically prescribed by regulation.⁸

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia draws a line at two ages: under 14 and under 16. Children under 14 cannot work in jobs that are harmful to their health or development. Workers under 16 are barred from mining, manufacturing, construction, forestry, automotive service stations, hotels, and several other industries.⁹

Ontario

Ontario ties its minimum age to the type of workplace. You must be at least 14 to work in offices, stores, arenas, and restaurant serving areas. The floor rises to 15 for factories, manufacturing plants, repair shops, restaurant kitchens, grocery store meat and produce prep areas, laundries, and warehouses. Construction and logging require a minimum age of 16, and underground mining or work at the face of a surface mine requires 18.¹⁰

Prince Edward Island

The general minimum employment age is 16, though permits may allow younger workers to be employed under specific conditions.¹¹

Quebec

Since June 1, 2023, the minimum working age in Quebec is 14. Children under 14 can only work in a short list of roles: delivering newspapers, occasional babysitting, tutoring, and performing in artistic productions like theatre or film. A parent must give written consent for any child under 14 to hold even these jobs.¹²

Saskatchewan

The general minimum age is 16. Workers 14 and 15 can be employed, but they must first complete the Young Worker Readiness Certificate Course online and print a Certificate of Completion. The employer also needs written permission from a parent or guardian before hiring them.¹³

Northwest Territories and Nunavut

Neither territory sets a firm minimum age, but both restrict workers under 17 from working between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. or during required school hours unless the employer has written permission from an Employment Standards Officer. Youth under 16 are barred from construction sites, pulp mills, sawmills, smelters, forestry and logging operations, and work involving powered mobile equipment or confined spaces.¹⁴ Workers 13 and 14 can hold jobs outside school hours in roles like retail, food service, coaching, tutoring, and newspaper delivery, provided the work is not harmful and a parent gives written consent.

Yukon

The Yukon does not define a minimum employment age in its labour standards legislation. A “young worker” is anyone under 19, and employers must meet orientation, training, and supervision requirements for all workers in that age group. School attendance laws and federal standards provide the practical floor.

Higher Age Floors for Dangerous Work

The general minimum age in a province is not the whole story. Higher age floors apply to hazardous work in nearly every jurisdiction, and the pattern is consistent: jobs involving heavy machinery, hazardous substances, mining, and forestry are reserved for workers 16 or older, and underground mining and logging frequently require a minimum of 18.

Ontario requires workers to be at least 16 for construction sites and 18 for underground mining.¹⁰ British Columbia sets the minimum at 16 for construction and 18 for logging.¹⁵ Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the territories all prohibit workers under 16 from forestry, construction, and industrial operations.⁹ Serving alcohol carries age restrictions that track each province’s legal drinking age: 18 in Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec, 19 everywhere else.

Limits on Hours and School Days

Nearly every province caps when and how long young workers can be on the job, and school days carry the tightest limits.

Alberta: workers 13 and 14 cannot work during school hours, are capped at two hours on school days, and cannot work between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.³
New Brunswick: under-16 workers are limited to three hours on school days, six hours total per day, and no work between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.⁷
Newfoundland and Labrador: under-16 workers face the same three-hour school-day cap, an eight-hour daily maximum, and no work between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.⁸
Nova Scotia: under-14 workers cannot exceed three hours on a school day or eight hours on any day, and cannot work between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.⁹
Northwest Territories and Nunavut: workers under 17 cannot work between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. or during required school hours without an Employment Standards Officer’s written permission.¹⁴

Federal rules mirror these limits for under-18 workers in federally regulated industries, with no work permitted between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.¹

Performers, Family Businesses, and Other Exceptions

A few categories of work routinely fall outside the standard age rules. Child performers in film, television, theatre, and advertising can often work younger than the general minimum, but they need permits. Ontario’s Protecting Child Performers Act, 2015, establishes specific requirements for infants and young children in entertainment. Quebec exempts artistic productions from its minimum age of 14, though parental consent is still mandatory.¹² Alberta requires a permit from the Director of Employment Standards for anyone 14 or under performing in an artistic endeavor.⁴

Family businesses also get some leeway. In British Columbia, children aged 12 to 15 can work in a family-owned business without a permit as long as the tasks qualify as light work.⁵ Several provinces also allow younger workers to participate in school-based work-experience programs that fold employment into their education.

Getting a Social Insurance Number Before You Start

Before you can legally be paid for work in Canada, you need a Social Insurance Number. Children 12 and older can apply for a SIN themselves. For children under 12, a parent, legal guardian, or legal representative must apply on their behalf.¹⁶

The application requires an original identity document that proves the child’s legal status in Canada, such as a birth certificate for Canadian citizens or a Permanent Resident card for permanent residents. If a parent applies, they also need to provide their own identity document. All documents must be originals, valid, and in English or French.¹⁷ Sort the SIN out before you start job hunting, since employers need the number for payroll.

If You Are a Foreign Minor

The general provincial rules cover Canadian citizens and permanent residents. If you are in Canada on a study permit, your work rights are different. International students at a designated post-secondary institution can work off campus without a separate work permit if they are enrolled full-time in a program leading to a degree, diploma, or certificate. This off-campus authorization generally does not extend to high school students; the only exception is secondary-level vocational training programs in Quebec.¹⁸

A foreign minor attending a Canadian high school who wants a part-time job typically needs a work permit. The standard eligibility requirements apply: the applicant must show they will leave Canada when the permit expires, demonstrate sufficient financial resources, have no criminal record, and be in good health. Young workers in special international programs may qualify for an open work permit, which allows employment with any employer rather than being tied to one.¹⁹

1
Government of Canada. Pay and Minimum Wage, Deductions, and Wage Recovery
2
Department of Justice Canada. Canada Labour Code RSC 1985 c L-2 – Section 179
3
Alberta.ca. Employment Standards Rules – Youth Employment Laws
4
Alberta.ca. Adolescent Employment Permit
5
Province of British Columbia. Hiring Young People
6
Government of Manitoba. Young Employees – Employment Standards
7
Government of New Brunswick. Employment of Children Under 16
8
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Your Rights At Work
9
Nova Scotia Government. Employment of Children
10
Government of Ontario. Minimum Age for Work
11
Prince Edward Island. Youth Employment Act
12
Protecteur du citoyen. Working at Age 14 – What Does the Law Say
13
Government of Saskatchewan. Minimum Age and Workplace Restrictions
14
Government of the Northwest Territories. Employment Standards Fact Sheet
15
Province of British Columbia. Hazardous Work for Youth Rules Come Into Effect Jan. 1
16
Government of Canada. Social Insurance Number Qualification
17
Government of Canada. Apply for a Social Insurance Number
18
Canada.ca. Work Off Campus as an International Student
19
Canada.ca. Work Permit – Who Can Apply