The minimum standards of employment are set out in Alberta’s employment standards legislation. All Alberta employers are expected to fully comply with them. Some of the standards include minimum wage, overtime, and maternity and parental leave. For more information, see Standards and Definitions.

Nearly all employers and employees in Alberta are subject to the standards in the Employment Standards Code and the Employment Standards Regulation.

The exceptions are employers and employees who fall under federal legislation, including employees of the federal government or those in industries such as banking, interprovincial trucking or radio and television. For more information, see Federal Employment Standards.

As well, certain minimum standards do not apply to farm or ranch employers engaged in certain listed primary production, or a primary agricultural employer that produces cultured fish. Exempted from certain minimum standards are those who employ:

• ambulance attendants,
• caregivers,
• construction industry employees,
• oilwell servicing industry employees,
• taxi cab industry employees,
• trucking industry employees, and
• others listed in the Regulation.

To learn more, please see Employment Standards Regulation.

If you have concerns about pay, hours of work, vacation and similar matters, you may file a complaint with Employment Standards. If you have not been able to resolve the situation yourself, you can complete an online complaint form and submit it electronically to Employment Standards at any time.

For more information, see Filing a Complaint with Employment Standards and Complaint Resolution Process Fact Sheet.