---
title: "Ontario Job Posting Rules 2026: Pay Ranges, AI and More | HR Team"
description: "Ontario job posting rules from January 1, 2026: pay transparency, AI disclosure, vacancy status, no Canadian experience requirement, 45-day reply and record keeping."
url: https://hrteam.ca/guides/ontario-job-posting-rules/
last_updated: 2026-11-05
---

# Ontario job posting rules for employers

Since January 1, 2026, Ontario employers with 25 or more employees must follow new rules for publicly advertised job postings. Here is what changed and how to stay compliant.

## What each public job posting must do

- **Show the pay**: Include the expected compensation or a pay range. The range cannot be wider than $50,000. Roles paying over $200,000 a year are exempt.
- **Disclose AI use**: Say whether artificial intelligence is used to screen, assess or select applicants.
- **Say whether the job exists**: State whether the posting is for an existing vacancy or for building a pool of candidates.
- **No Canadian experience requirement**: Do not require Canadian work experience in the posting or in the application form.

## After the posting closes

- **Reply to interviewed candidates**: Tell applicants you interviewed whether a hiring decision has been made, within 45 days of their last interview.
- **Keep records for three years**: Keep copies of each public posting, its application form and the related information.

## What is not covered

- **Smaller employers**: Employers with fewer than 25 employees on the day the job is posted.
- **General hiring campaigns**: General "we are hiring" ads that do not advertise a specific position.
- **Internal postings**: Positions open only to current employees.
- **Work outside Ontario**: Positions that will be performed outside Ontario.

## Official source

- Your guide to the Employment Standards Act: job postings (Government of Ontario). ([source](https://www.ontario.ca/document/your-guide-employment-standards-act-0/job-postings))

## A quick compliance check for every posting

- **Count your employees**: Do you have 25 or more on the posting date?
- **Add the pay range**: No wider than $50,000, unless the role pays over $200,000.
- **Add two statements**: AI use in screening, and whether there is an existing vacancy.
- **Remove "Canadian experience"**: From the ad and the application form.
- **Set a reminder**: 45 days after the last interview, and a folder to keep everything for three years.

> This page is general information, not legal advice. Employment rules differ by province and change over time; check the official source or speak with an employment lawyer for your situation.

## Common questions

**Do these rules apply when a recruiter posts the job for us?**

Yes. The rules apply to postings for your job wherever they are published. When we run a search for you, our postings follow them.

**Can the posting say "salary negotiable"?**

Not instead of a pay range or expected compensation, if you are covered by the rules.

**Does this apply to federally regulated employers?**

No. Banks, airlines, telecoms and other federally regulated employers follow the Canada Labour Code.

## Related

- [Recruitment and HR in Toronto](https://hrteam.ca/locations/toronto/)
- [Recruitment for professional, technical and leadership roles](https://hrteam.ca/recruitment/)
- [Reference check questions that get real answers](https://hrteam.ca/guides/reference-check-questions/)
- [HR for small businesses: what you need, and when](https://hrteam.ca/small-business-hr/)

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