Authorization to Vary Youth Employment Permit

The authorization to vary youth employment rules permit allows the youth employment rules to be varied only if the parent, employer, and youth all agree to the application and the Executive Director of Employment Standards approves it.

The Conditions of Employment Regulations set the conditions under which youth can be employed in Saskatchewan.

In Saskatchewan, the minimum age of employment is 16 years of age. Fourteen- and 15-year-olds can work if they have both:

• The written consent of a parent or guardian; and
• A certificate of completion from the Young Worker Readiness Certificate Course.

Visit Youth in the Workplace for more information about employing youth.

Eligibility

This permit will not be issued if:

• The youth's education could be compromised if a permit was issued. Education is always a priority when considering any request for a variation to the minimum age of employment rules.
• The type of workplace and the work conditions are considered harmful to the youth's health, safety and well-being.
• All three parties (the youth, parent or guardian, and employer) have not agreed to the permit. All three must sign the form to show that they agree to the application.
• The employer has an active complaint on file with the Employment Standards Division and/or the employer has received a notice of contravention from  Occupational Health and Safety in the last two years.
• The employer has no plan in place for a properly trained adult supervisor to be continuously present within sight and earshot of the youth employee.
• The employment requested is age restricted under a law listed in Appendix 1 of the application.

Permit Limitations

A permit granting an exemption to one requirement under these regulations does not automatically grant an exemption from other requirements. For example, an employer who has a permit for a youth to work more than 16 hours in a week in which school is in session can not use that permit to have the student work after 10:00 p.m. on a night preceding a school day.

Obtaining a Permit

Permit applications should be submitted at least two weeks before the permit is required.

The form should be completed and returned to:

Employment Standards
Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety
Sturdy Stone Building, 8th Floor
122 - 3rd Avenue North
Saskatoon SK  S7K 2H6

Application forms can also be submitted by fax to 306-933-5444 or by email to: employmentstandardspermits@gov.sk.ca.

Download the authorization to vary youth employment permit application