Sanyukta SrivastavaWant to know more about employment opportunities for your kids or younger siblings? We answered some of the frequently asked questions about youth employment in Alberta below.
What is the lowest hiring age in Alberta?
The lowest hiring age in Alberta is 12 years old. However, this is still under certain conditions, and parental or guardian consent is required.
The Employment Standards permit employers from the food service industry and artistic endeavors to hire employees who are 12 years old.
Can 14-year-olds work in Alberta?
Adolescents aged 14 years old or below are permitted to work in Alberta under specified standards and restrictions.
The Employment Standards must approve the job and working hours, and parental or guardian consent is required. Moreover, certain types of work require an adolescent employment permit.
Where can a 14-year-old work in Alberta?
Adolescent employees in Alberta aged 13 to 14 years old can only work in jobs approved by the Employment Standards.
Listed below are the approved jobs that don’t require any permits, as well as the approved jobs that require an adolescent employment permit.
Approved Jobs That Don’t Require Permits in Alberta
- Delivery person (for newspapers, flyers, and handbills)
- Clerk in a retail store
- Clerk or messenger in offices
- Delivery person (for small goods and merchandise for retail stores)
- Tutor
- Coach (for recreational athletic clubs or associations)
- Light janitorial work in offices
- Food service employee or jobs in the restaurant industry (host, hostess, dishwasher, cashier, customer service provider, bussing or cleaning tables, assembling food orders, sweeping or mopping common areas)
Note that adolescent employees working in the food service industry must be in the continuous presence of at least one other employee who is 18 years old or above.
Approved Jobs That Require Permits in Alberta
- Recorded entertainment (film, radio, video, television, and commercials for radio and television)
- Voice recordings (for video and computer gaming)
- Live performances (for the entertainment industry, such as theater plays and musical performances)
As you can see, jobs under artistic endeavors require a permit if the employee is 14 years old or under.
Employers should get a permit from the Employment Standards for their adolescent employees before starting the job.
The adolescent employment permit is necessary for parents or guardians, employers, and the Employment Standards can ensure the job is safe.
The environment and nature of the job are also checked to guarantee that it will not harm the adolescent’s life, well-being, health, and education.
What are the jobs that adolescent employees are not allowed to do in Alberta?
Adolescent employees are not allowed to do these jobs in Alberta:
- Construction and building
- Jobs requiring heavy lifting (anything over 10 pounds)
- Working or near fuel or propane
- Working with potentially hazardous equipment (powered equipment, sharp objects, pressure washers, equipment that poses a risk of burn hazards, hazardous equipment or tools)
- Working with or near moving vehicles and equipment
The jobs listed above can be harmful to adolescent employees’ health and well-being. Even if the employer attempted to get a permit, they wouldn’t be issued one because of the nature of the job.
How many hours can 14-year-old employees work in Alberta?
Adolescent employees aged 13 to 14 years old can only work for a maximum of two hours outside of regular school hours on school days. On the other hand, they can work up to eight hours on non-school days.
Apart from that, there are also restrictions on working hours. 13 to 14-year-old employees can’t work between 9 PM and 6 AM.
They also can’t work during school hours. The only exception to this is if they’re enrolled in an off-campus education program.
What is the minimum wage for a 14-year-old employee in Alberta?
In general, the minimum wage in Alberta for 14-year-old workers and other workers under 18 years old is $13 per hour.
Adolescent employees in Alberta get compensated under two categories:
- For the first 28 hours worked per week (during a school year), adolescent employees must be paid at least $13 per hour
- After the first 28 hours, each hour must be paid at least $15 per hour (the provincial minimum wage)
What are the Employment Standard Rules for other adolescent employees in Alberta?
Here’s a summary of the Employment Standard Rules for employees in Alberta who are under 18 years old.
Employment Rules and Restrictions for Employees aged 12 years old and younger
- Employees who are 12 years old can be employed in the food service industry and artistic endeavors.
- If the employee is below 12 years old, they can only be employed in an artistic endeavor.
- If working for any artistic endeavor, the employer must get an adolescent employment permit for the employee.
- During the permit approval process, the allowable working hours and other restrictions must be discussed and determined.
- Employees 12 years old or below must have parent or guardian consent.
Employment Rules and Restrictions for Employees aged 15 to 17 years old
- Employees aged 15 to 17 years old can be employed in any type of work without permits.
- A parent or guardian’s consent is required if they need to work during restricted hours.
- Employees who are 15 years old are not allowed to work during regular school hours. The exception to this is if they’re enrolled in an off-campus education program.
- Employees 15 to 17 years old who work in the retail or hospitality industry are only allowed to work between 9 PM and 12 AM with adult supervision.
- Employees 15 to 17 years old who work in the retail or hospitality industry are not allowed to work between 12:01 AM and 6 AM.
- Employees 15 to 17 years old can work between 12:01 AM and 6 AM if the job is not in the retail or hospitality industry. However, they should be supervised by an adult and have parental or guardian consent.
Note that Alberta’s Employment Standard Rules only cover adolescent employees or people under 18 years old if they are employees.
This means that if they are self-employed, working as an independent contractor, or volunteering, they will not be covered by the youth employment rules and standards.
Some of the casual work not covered by the Employment Standards are babysitting, lawn cutting, and snow shoveling. Of course, if they’re doing casual work but working under a professional service provider, they’ll be covered by the Employment Standard Rules.
