Keeping job posting records for three years in Ontario
Ontario employers must keep a copy of every publicly advertised job posting, and any application form that goes with it, for three years after the posting comes down. What you told interviewed applicants is kept for three years too.
Updated October 23, 2026. A summary, not legal advice.En français
In short
- Keep a copy of every public posting and its application form for 3 years after it comes down.
- If you change a posting while it's up, keep each version that was public.
- Keep what you told each interviewed applicant for 3 years after you told them.
- A recruiter or a vendor can keep them for you.
What the law says
- Keep, or arrange for someone else to keep, a copy of every publicly advertised job posting and any application form that goes with it, for three years after the public can no longer see the posting. (ESA, s. 15 (7.1))
- Keep a copy of what you told interviewed applicants under the 45-day rule for three years after the day you told them. (ESA, s. 15 (7.1.1))
- The Ministry's guide says that if a posting is revised while it's up, you keep a copy of each version that was public, and that a document or web page the posting links to is part of the posting. (Ministry's guide)
A checklist for each posting
- Each version of the posting that was public, with the dates it went up and came down.
- Any document or web page the posting links to.
- The application form, with its questions.
- For each interviewed applicant: the interview dates, what you told them and when.
- The date the three years end: from when the posting came down, and from each update you gave.
Before and after
The posting was edited twice on the job board; only the current version is saved. The application form lives in the applicant tracking system and changes every month.
Each version saved as a PDF with its dates (January 6 to 20, then January 20 to February 14). The form's questions saved with them. Kept until at least February 14, 2029.
Each version that was public needs a copy, not just the last one.
How CheckON checks it
A posting can't break this rule, so it isn't part of the check. Every CheckON result ends with a reminder of it under "After you post". On Starter and Agency plans you can turn on an archive that keeps the final version of each posting you approve, with its application form and linked documents, for three years after the takedown date you enter. It keeps the final version only, so keep earlier versions yourself.
Who the rules apply to
Employers with 25 or more employees in Ontario on the day the job is posted, for public postings of a specific job done in Ontario, on your careers page, a job board or a recruiter's site. A posting open only to current employees, or a general "we're hiring" campaign that names no job, isn't covered. (O. Reg. 476/24, s. 1; O. Reg. 476/24, s. 2 (1))
Questions people ask
How long do Ontario employers keep job postings?
Three years after the posting comes down: a copy of every public job posting and any application form that goes with it (ESA, s. 15 (7.1)).
Do I keep every version of a posting?
Yes. The Ministry's guide says that if the posting is revised while it's up, you keep a copy of each version that was public.
What about the 45-day updates to interviewed applicants?
Keep a copy of what you told each one for three years after the day you told them (ESA, s. 15 (7.1.1)).
Can our applicant tracking system or recruiter keep the records?
Yes. The law lets you arrange for someone else to keep them. The duty to keep them is still yours.
Does CheckON keep my postings?
Not unless you turn on the archive on a Starter or Agency plan. It keeps the final version of each posting you approve, not every revision.
The other rules
- Pay rangeShow the expected pay, or a range no wider than $50,000 a year.
- Canadian experienceDon't require Canadian experience in the posting or its application form.
- AI disclosureSay so if AI screens, assesses or selects applicants.
- Existing vacancySay whether the job is an existing vacancy, or not.
- 45-day replyTell each interviewed applicant within 45 days whether a decision was made.
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.