This Employment Standards Factsheet
is also available in a printable pdf
or doc format
Definition of a Domestic
A domestic is a person who
a) is employed at an employer’s private
residence to provide cooking, cleaning, child care or
other prescribed services, and
b) resides at the employer’s private
residence.
Coverage of Domestics
Domestics receive all rights and benefits
under the Employment Standards Act and Regulation. These
benefits include overtime pay, statutory holidays and holiday
pay, annual vacations and vacation pay, and minimum wage.
Effective November 1, 2001, the minimum wage
is $8 per hour.
Written Agreement Required
There must be a written employment agreement
between a domestic and an employer.
The agreement must set out the domestic’s
duties, hours of work, wages and charges for room and board.
The employer must give the domestic a copy of this agreement.
If a domestic works more hours than the agreement
requires, the domestic must be paid extra for these hours.
Maximum charges for room and board are set
by the Regulation. These charges must not be more than $325
per month.
Registration of Domestics
A domestic’s employer must inform the
Employment Standards Branch of the employer’s and
the domestic’s name, address and telephone number.
This must be done within 30 days of the domestic starting
work.
Every six months, the employer must notify
the Branch of any changes to this information. This notification
may be registered at any Employment Standards Branch office.
More information about employment of domestic
workers is available at http://www.labour.gov.bc.ca/esb/domestics/
on the Internet.
-----------------------------------------------------
This factsheet has been prepared for general
information purposes. It is not a legal document. Please
refer to the Employment Standards Act and Regulation for
purposes of interpretation and application of the law. July
2002
For more information, please contact the Employment
Standards Branch at their hotline
1-800-663-3316 (toll-free in British Columbia)
If for any reason you cannot reach
them you can contact
your local MLA who will help you get in contact with
someone at the Employment Standards Branch.
