Temporary help agencies

What’s changed

Temporary help agencies are now required to give their employees at least one week’s written notice or pay in lieu of notice, if an assignment, originally estimated to last three months or longer, ends early.

If the temporary help agency gives less than one week’s notice, they must pay the wages the employee would have been entitled to receive had one week’s notice been given.

The temporary help agency does not have to give notice or pay in lieu if it offered the employee another assignment that was reasonable and lasted at least one week.

Learn more about temporary help agency rules under the Employment Standards Act, 2000.

Exceptions

Agencies do not have to provide notice or pay in lieu of notice if there is:

• wilful misconduct by the assignment employee

• an unforeseeable event that makes it impossible to perform the assignment

• or the assignment is terminated because of a strike or lock-out at the location of the assignment

Comes into effect

This came into effect on January 1, 2018.