Minimum working age · Ontario
Minimum working age in Ontario.
The youngest age a person can work in Ontario and what changes at each age. Enter an age to see the rule that applies.
Ontario sets the minimum working age by workplace: 14 for offices, stores, arenas and restaurant serving areas, 15 for factories and restaurant kitchens, and 16 for construction and logging.
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Ontario: minimum working age rules in detail
| Point | What the source says |
|---|---|
| 14 | Offices, stores, arenas, restaurant serving areas, other industrial establishments |
| 15 | Factories other than logging: manufacturing or assembly plants, repair shops, restaurant kitchens, warehouses |
| 16 | Mining plants and surface mines (excluding the working face), construction, logging |
| 18 | Underground mines, working face of surface mines, window cleaning, offshore oil and gas rigs |
| 19 | Shaft attendant on a construction hoist |
Notes on this rule
Under the Education Act employers cannot employ children under 16 during school hours. The ages come from regulations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, not the Employment Standards Act.
How to use this page
Enter an age to see the rule for that age. The bands run from the youngest age to adult, so you can step through each one to see what changes: permits, consent, hours of work and prohibited jobs.
Sources, read directly 19 October 2026: Ontario.ca - Minimum age for work.
Frequently asked questions
How old do you have to be to work in Ontario?
Ontario sets the minimum working age by workplace: 14 for offices, stores, arenas and restaurant serving areas, 15 for factories and restaurant kitchens, and 16 for construction and logging.
What is the general minimum in Ontario?
The general position is: 14 (14 for offices, stores and restaurant serving areas). Younger workers are covered by the permit, consent, hour and job limits listed above.
Does a family business have different rules?
The source read for Ontario does not set out a separate family-business rule on the page used here, so none is stated. Ask the employment standards office before relying on a family exception.
Is this legal advice?
No. Youth-employment rules also depend on school-attendance law, occupational health and safety rules and the specific job. This page summarises the employment standards rules the sources state; check the source or the employment standards office before hiring or starting work under the minimum age.
Where does this Ontario information come from?
Every figure on this page was read on 19 October 2026 from: Ontario.ca - Minimum age for work. The links are listed under the rules table above. If a source changes, this page is regenerated from one data file and the verified date is updated.
Reference only — not legal advice
This page states the statutory minimum working age rules from the published employment-standards legislation or the government’s own guide, read on 19 October 2026. It is not legal advice, does not model a collective agreement or an individual contract, and rules change. For a binding answer, contact the employment standards office named in the source or a lawyer.