The "30 Hours/Week" Rule

For immigration purposes under Express Entry, IRCC defines full-time work as at least 30 hours of paid work per week.

1,560

Total Hours Required per Year To count as 1 year of full-time experience, you must accumulate exactly 1,560 hours (30 hours/week x 52 weeks).

How Experience is Calculated

You can meet this requirement in three ways:

Full-time at 1 job:

30 hours/week for 12 months = 1 year full time (1,560 hours).

Equal amount in part-time work:

15 hours/week for 24 months = 1 year full time (1,560 hours).

You can work as little as 15 hours per week, as long as the total hours add up to 1,560.

Full-time at more than 1 job:

30 hours/week at Job A + 30 hours/week at Job B = Only counted as 30 hours/week total.

Overtime doesn't count more: Even if you work 60 hours in a week, IRCC only counts 30 hours for that week. You cannot "speed up" the 1-year requirement by working double shifts. You need the full 52 weeks (or equivalent duration).
Volunteer work doesn't count: Work must be paid (wages or commission).
Student work: Work experience gained while you were a full-time student in Canada does not count towards the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), but may count towards the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) eligibility.