Employers in Ontario have new obligations under the Employment Standards Act, 2000, among other amendments found in Bill 30: Working for Workers Seven Act, 2025. The seventh edition of the “Working for Workers” series of legislation from the Ontario Government has received Royal Assent. Below are some of the changes that employers need to be aware of.
Job Seeking Leave
As of November 27, 2025, employees in Ontario are entitled to a Job Seeking Leave in cases where the employer’s business is undergoing a mass termination (i.e. a termination of 50 or more employees within a 4-week period). Employees who receive notice of termination will be entitled to three (3) unpaid days of leave for activities related to searching for a new job.
Employees will be required to provide at least three (3) days of notice before taking the leave, and employers may ask the employee for evidence that is reasonable in the circumstances that the employee is entitled to the leave.
The job seeking leave is only applicable in cases where working notice is given and the employer provides 25 per cent or more of the notice required by legislation as “working notice” rather than as termination pay.
Layoff Period Extensions
Employers are now permitted to extended temporary layoffs beyond the 13-week or 35-week standards that were in place prior to the Working for Workers Seven Act, 2025. Employers and employee may now agree, in writing, to a layoff of just under 52 weeks in a period of 78 consecutive weeks. The written agreement between the employee and employer must include the recall date and a statement that the employee cannot withdraw from the agreement.
Employers are required to obtain permission for the lay-off from the Ontario Director of Employment Standards via an application form approved by the Director.
Job Posting Platform Rules & Job Posting Rules
As noted in our previous post, as of January 1, 2026, “job posting platforms” have new rules to consider. Job posting platforms are defined as online platforms on which publicly advertised job postings are posted. The definition does not include a job posting platform which is operated by an employer and only serves to advertise jobs with that employer.
Job posting platform operators will need to provide a mechanism or procedure for users to report fraudulent publicly advertised job postings. They must also put together a written policy on fraudulent job postings. The legislation states that the complaint mechanism would need to direct the complaints toward the operator of the job posting board.
Job Posting Rules as of January 1, 2026
In addition, under the Working for Workers Five Act, 2024, employers are required to comply with job posting rules as of January 1, 2026. We previously discussed those rules in a blog post. The following requirements come into effect:
- Job ads must disclose, via a statement in the job ad, the expected compensation for the position or the range of expected compensation for the position.
- They must also state whether there is an existing vacancy in the workplace or not in respect of the position.
- Finally, there must be a disclosure if the employer uses AI to screen applicants in respect of the position.
The legislation provides that the Ontario Government may, through regulations, include additional requirements for publicly posted job ads. We would advise that employers in Ontario keep an eye on the requirements especially after January 1, 2026, as there is a chance that requirements may change. The Ontario Government has specifically reserved the right to define via regulation what constitutes an interview and what constitutes compensation for the purposes of publicly posted job ads.
The legislation further prohibits employers from requiring Canadian experience in job postings. Essentially, employers are permitted to ask for a certain level of experience but will not be permitted to require that such experience is earned in Canada as opposed to outside of Canada.
Employers will also be required to inform any applicant to a publicly posted job ad whom the employer has interviewed on the outcome of their application. According to the legislation the Ontario Government will provide a timeline and further information on what the employer must provide to any such applicant.
Finally, employers will be required to retain records relating to the job posting and any job applicant for a period of three years, with additional details to follow once legislation is adopted. The three-year period applies from the date that the public posting is taken down by the employer.
At Bridge Legal & HR Solutions we can help you untangle and understand the web of obligations that applies to your employment relationships. To find out how we can help, contact us through our contact form or call us at 647-794-5442.
