Markham companies hiring in the new year face new provincial rules on how they advertise jobs and treat applicants, after changes under Ontario's Employment Standards Act took effect on Jan. 1.

The changes reach a large employer base. The City of Markham's website describes the city as home to 10,400 companies, including more than 400 Canadian head offices and more than 1,000 technology and life sciences companies.

What employers must now do

The rules apply to employers with 25 or more employees when they publicly advertise a job. Those postings must:

  • Include the expected pay or a pay range, unless the pay is above $200,000 a year. Any range cannot be wider than $50,000.

  • Say whether artificial intelligence is used to screen, assess or select applicants.

  • State whether the posting is for an existing vacancy.

  • Leave out any requirement for Canadian work experience, in the posting or in the application form.

Employers must also respond to people they interviewed within 45 days of the interview.

The rules do not cover general recruitment campaigns that are not for a specific job, general help-wanted signs, internal postings, or jobs that will be performed outside Ontario.

Other workplace changes

Public job posting platforms must now have a way for users to report fraudulent job ads and a written policy on fraudulent postings. Temporary help agencies and recruiters now renew their licences every two years instead of every year.

On construction projects with 20 or more regularly employed workers that will last at least three months, defibrillators are now required on site, and a worker trained in CPR and defibrillator use must be present while work is under way. The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board is offering eligible employers up to $2,500 per device. Workplaces must also post cleaning records for the washrooms provided to workers.

Easier moves for out-of-province professionals

Also starting Jan. 1, new labour mobility rules allow certified professionals from other provinces, such as architects, engineers and electricians, to begin working in Ontario within 10 business days once the Ontario regulator confirms their credentials, the province said.

By streamlining the process for certified professionals from other Canadian jurisdictions to work in Ontario, we're opening doors for talent and driving economic growth.

— David Piccini, Ontario Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development

Employers unsure whether the posting rules apply to them can check the province's Employment Standards Act guidance.