New job posting requirements for Ontario employers take effect

With the arrival of 2026, Ontario’s new rule on job postings has officially taken effect.

Under legislation introduced in 2023, employers in Ontario with 25 or more employees must include either a specific salary or a pay range in all publicly advertised positions starting Jan. 1, 2026. The range cannot be wider than $50,000 — for example, $60,000 to $110,000 — except where the top end exceeds $200,000 a year or total compensation is at least $200,000. Bonuses, commissions and other forms of compensation must also be disclosed.

Ontario’s Minister of Labour, Immigration, Skills and Training, David Piccini, said the new framework is aimed at levelling conditions in the hiring market. “Our government is building a fairer, safer job market across the province by levelling the playing field for job seekers, cracking down on scams and bringing real transparency to hiring,” Piccini said in a statement, according to a report from Global News.

“Anyone looking for work deserves to know three things up front: what the job pays, whether the job is real, and how your application is being judged,” he added. “This is about putting time, money and power back in the hands of job seekers, instead of leaving them guessing or wasting their energy on dead ends.”

But one expert is warning of the "administrative burden" for employers. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) said most of its small business members will be exempt because they have fewer than 25 employees, but those that do meet the threshold will face new requirements.

“You have to notify the applicants in person, in writing, or by phone or email and that’s a lot of information for an employer to unpack,” said Julie Kwiecinski, CFIB’s Ontario director of provincial affairs, according to Global News. 

‘Ghosting’ in recruitment

The new rules also seek to address “ghosting” in the recruitment process. Employers must now inform any applicant who is invited to an interview of the company’s decision within 45 days of their final interview.

Deb Bottineau, a managing director with global recruiter Robert Half, described that obligation as a reasonable starting point. “What we’ve got to do is marry the need to provide the prospective employee with closure on their job search, positive or negative, but also work reasonably with organizations that are gonna have to make adjustments to their hiring process,” she said in the report.

The change is expected to require HR departments to tighten workflow management, tracking and communication practices with candidates.

Bottineau also noted that the new pay transparency rules will “equalize the playing field.”

“That impact will be not only for those applying to positions, but it also creates a greater landscape of accountability and awareness for internal employees as it relates to pay rate ranges and compensation,” according to the report from The Canadian Press (CP).

AI disclosure also required

Employment lawyer Jon Pinkus, a partner at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, said the changes are limited but meaningful. “It’s a step in the right direction, I think it’s a baby step,” he said, according to the same report. He noted the rules are unusual because “the Employment Standards Act typically only protects people who are already employed whereas this is something that protects people who are not yet employed.”

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of Canadian workers say they would be more likely to apply for a job that includes the pay range in the posting, according to a previous report from Indeed.

Beyond pay and communication, the reforms also require employers to disclose when artificial intelligence is being used in the hiring process. Job posting platforms must provide a mechanism for users to report fraudulent job ads.

Here are the current pay transparency rules across Canada: