Minimum Working Age Ontario

What is the minimum legal age to work in Ontario?

• 14 years old: The minimum legal age to work for most jobs in Ontario. This includes offices, stores, arenas, and restaurant serving areas.

Certain industries, like construction and mining, have higher age requirements because of safety regulations. Understanding these rules ensures that employers and young workers comply with Ontario’s labor laws. The minimum legal working age in Ontario is governed by the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), not the Employment Standards Act (ESA).

Young workers are entitled to minimum wage (with some exceptions for students under 18), holiday pay, and up to three days of unpaid, job-protected sick leave each calendar year.

Industry-specific age requirements

The minimum age varies by industry:

• 15 years old: Manufacturing plants, repair shops, restaurant kitchens, auto service garages, grocery stores (produce and meat prep, shipping and receiving), laundry, warehouses
• 16 years old: Construction, logging, mining plants
• 18 years old: Underground mines, window cleaning, offshore oil/gas rigs
• 19 years old: Shaft attendants in construction

Minimum age to visit an Ontario workplace

Children who are too young to work can still visit workplaces like offices, stores, arenas, restaurants, and factories under certain conditions:

• Accompanied by an adult (18+)
• On a guided tour
• In sales areas
• In public-accessible areas

Age Restrictions for Specific Workplaces

• 18 years old: Underground mines, working face of surface mines
• 16 years old: Construction sites, mining plants, surface mines (excluding the working face)

These rules ensure safety while allowing educational and public visits.

Education and employment restrictions

Children must attend school until age 18, per Ontario’s Education Act. Employers can’t hire children under 16 during school hours, with some exceptions under Ontario Regulation 374/10.

Student minimum wage

Students in Ontario under 18 working 28 hours or less per week during the school term, including holidays, earn the student minimum wage. More than 28 hours per week entitles them to the general minimum wage.

Additional resources

Samfiru Tumarkin LLP has additional resources about your employment rights in Ontario, including guides on statutory holidays, CPP payment dates, vacation time and pay, and severance pay.

Lost your job? Talk to an employment lawyer

If you are a non-unionized employee, and have been fired or let go for any reason, contact the experienced employment law team at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP.

Our lawyers in Ontario, Alberta, and B.C. have successfully represented tens of thousands of non-unionized individuals.

In addition to severance package negotiations, we can assist you on a broad range of employment matters, including:

If you are a non-unionized employee who needs help with a workplace issue, contact us or call 1-855-821-5900 to get the advice you need and the compensation you deserve.