Ontario job posting checklist
Go through this before you publish a job in Ontario. It covers what the Employment Standards Act asks of a public job posting since January 1, 2026, and what to do after you post. Copy it into your own process, or print it.
Updated October 28, 2026. A summary, not legal advice.
First: do the rules apply?
If all four are true, the rest of the list applies to the posting.
The employer has 25 or more employees in Ontario on the day the job is posted. Count people, not full-time equivalents: part-time and casual staff each count as one.
O. Reg. 476/24, s. 1; Ministry's guide
The posting is advertised to the public, not only to current employees.
O. Reg. 476/24, s. 2 (1)
It's for a specific job, not a general "we're hiring" campaign that names no position.
O. Reg. 476/24, s. 2 (1)
The job is done in Ontario.
O. Reg. 476/24, s. 2 (1)
In the posting
The expected pay, or a range of expected pay, is in the posting.
ESA, s. 8.2 (1) · Pay ranges
A range is no wider than $50,000 a year. Hourly, weekly and monthly pay count by their yearly equivalent. If the pay, or the top of the range, is more than $200,000 a year, the pay rule doesn't apply.
ESA, s. 8.2 (2) and (3); O. Reg. 476/24, ss. 3 and 4
Each part of the pay is described: base pay, commission, and bonuses tied to hours, production or efficiency.
Ministry's guide
A sentence says whether the posting is for an existing vacancy, for example "This posting is for an existing vacancy."
ESA, s. 8.5 (1) (a) · The vacancy statement
If you, or a recruiter working for you, use AI to screen, assess or select applicants, the posting says so.
ESA, s. 8.4 (1); Ministry's guide · AI disclosure
Nothing requires Canadian experience: not Canadian work experience, Canadian education credentials, or an established network or client base in Canada. Licensing and registration requirements are allowed.
ESA, s. 8.3 (1); Ministry's guide · Canadian experience
Around the posting
The application form's questions don't ask for Canadian experience either.
ESA, s. 8.3 (1)
Any document or web page the posting links to is checked too: it counts as part of the posting.
Ministry's guide
After you post
Within 45 days of an interview, or of the last one, each interviewed applicant is told whether a hiring decision has been made.
ESA, s. 8.6; O. Reg. 476/24, s. 5 · The 45-day rule
A copy of each public version of the posting, and of its application form, is kept for three years after the posting comes down.
ESA, s. 15 (7.1) · Record keeping
What you told each interviewed applicant is kept for three years after you told them.
ESA, s. 15 (7.1.1)
Let CheckON go through the posting part
Paste a posting and CheckON checks the "In the posting" items for you, and the application form when you add it. It quotes each line that needs work and suggests the smallest fix, which you approve. The first check each week is free, with no sign-up.
Questions people ask
What must an Ontario job posting include in 2026?
For employers with 25 or more employees in Ontario: the expected pay or a pay range no wider than $50,000 a year (unless the pay is more than $200,000), a statement on whether the posting is for an existing vacancy, and, if AI is used to screen, assess or select applicants, a statement saying so. It can't include a Canadian experience requirement.
Do the rules apply to small businesses?
Not to employers with fewer than 25 employees on the day the job is posted (O. Reg. 476/24, s. 1). Count every employee in Ontario as one, including part-time and casual staff and people on leave.
Do the rules cover internal postings?
No. A posting restricted to the employer's existing employees isn't a publicly advertised job posting (O. Reg. 476/24, s. 2 (1)).
More guides
Sources: the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA), Part III.1 and s. 15, O. Reg. 476/24 and the Government of Ontario's guide to the job posting requirements. This page summarises them and isn't legal advice; for your situation, talk to an employment lawyer.