Employment standards are minimum standards of employment for employers and employees in the workplace. In Alberta, our employment standards are contained in the Employment Standards Code and the Employment Standards Regulation. Through these laws, minimum standards of employment have been established for:

• Payment of Earnings
• Minimum Wage
• Hours of Work, Rest Periods and Days of Rest
• Overtime and Overtime Pay
• Vacations and Vacation Pay
• General Holidays and General Holiday Pay
• Maternity and Parental Leave
• Termination of Employment
• Employees Under Age 18

Where legislated standards do not fit the unique circumstances of a workplace, it may be necessary to obtain a permit for a variation or relief from a standard (see Permits for Employment).