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Contents 1 Terminology 2 Who pays? 3 A Cautionary Tale 4 Provinces 4.1 Alberta 4.2 British Columbia 4.3 Manitoba 4.4 New Brunswick 4.5 Newfoundland and Labrador 4.6 Nova Scotia 4.7 Ontario 4.8 Prince Edward Island 4.9 Quebec 4.10 Saskatchewan 5 Other job hunting resources

[edit] Terminology

In Canada, employment agency, recruitment agency, placement agency and the colloquial term, head hunter, are used more or less synonymously.

[edit] Who pays?

In Canada it's the norm for employment agencies to earn their fees from employers.

It is unusual, and in some provinces illegal, for employment agencies to charge job seekers fees for putting them in touch with prospective employers.

[edit] A Cautionary Tale

On page 26 of the 27 Feb 2008 edition of Muchmor Magazine, there is an article called Shattered Dreams. It recounts a British family's experience with an agency that charged them lots of money, promised to obtain work for them in Canada, and did not deliver.

[edit] Provinces

A list of provincial laws concerning employment agencies is being built up for this Wiki article.

[edit] Alberta

Service Alberta provides a Consumer Tipsheet on Employment Agencies.

In response to the question, "What fees can be charged?" the web page states that, according to the Fair Trading Act:

No employment agency may charge a fee for helping a person find a job. However, an employment agency can charge an employer for its services.

In response to the question, "How is an immigration representative different from an employment agency?" the web page states:

A paid immigration representative and an employment agency offer different services. For example, an immigration representative does not usually assist a person in securing employment or in finding employees for an employer. Further, an employment agency cannot communicate with CIC (Citizenship and Immigration Canada) on a person’s behalf.

[edit] British Columbia

The Ministry of Labour and Citizens' Services has a web page called A Guide to the Employment Standards Act. That page states:

Temporary foreign workers are covered by the provisions of the Act. They cannot be charged a fee for job placement. Employers cannot require them to stay for a set period of time, nor can they charge business or recruitment costs or deduct these costs from their employees' pay cheques.

The exact wording of the relevant section of the Employment Standards Act is:

10 (1) A person must not request, charge or receive, directly or indirectly, from a person seeking employment a payment for

(a) employing or obtaining employment for the person seeking employment, or

(b) providing information about employers seeking employees.

[edit] Manitoba

Manitoba law forbids employment agencies to charge prospective employees for their services.

Section 6 (1) of The Employment Services Actstates:

No person shall charge any other person any fee or charge, or accept any remuneration or reward,

(a) for obtaining employment for that other person; or

(b) for introducing that other person to a prospective employer; or

(c) for receiving an application from that other person for employment, whether for specific employment or for employment generally; or

(d) for placing the name of that other person on any list of persons seeking employment.

[edit] New Brunswick

[edit] Newfoundland and Labrador

[edit] Nova Scotia

No one may charge a job seeker a fee for finding him/her a job.

The Employment Agencies Act states:

No person, firm, corporation or association shall collect or receive directly or indirectly from or on behalf of any person seeking employment or for whom employment has been secured any fee or compensation for persuading, enticing, inducing or procuring or being instrumental in the persuasion, enticing, inducing or procuring or sending or causing to be sent from or to any place within the Province, to or from any place outside the Province, or between any two places within the Province, any person seeking employment, or for giving or furnishing information regarding employers seeking employees or employees seeking employment.

[edit] Ontario

Ontario allows employment agencies to charge workers job placement frees.

But read about Employment Scams on the website of the Ministry of Government and Consumer Affairs.

[edit] Prince Edward Island

[edit] Quebec

[edit] Saskatchewan

This Wiki author's reading of Saskatchewan's legislation is that for-profit employment agencies essentially are banned in that province. There are a couple of exceptions. Educational institutions are allowed to avail themselves of the services of employment agencies. Municipalities in rural and northern locations are permitted to create employment offices. (The term "employment office" generally is understood to mean a government-funded service rather than a commercial operation.)

The Employment Agencies Act states:

No person, firm, corporation or association shall collect or receive, directly or indirectly, any fee or compensation for sending or persuading, enticing, inducing, procuring or causing to be sent from or to any place within the province, to or from any place outside the province, or between any two places within the province, any person seeking employment, or for giving or furnishing information regarding employers seeking workers or workers seeking employment.

[edit] Other job hunting resources

While it would be useful, in many cases, to include employment agencies in your mix of job hunting approaches, there are many other measures that are more important in the Canadian context.

If you have not already done so, it is recommended that you read the BE Wiki article called Finding Job Opportunities.