Employment agencies in Alberta will no longer be able to charge nannies, live-in caregivers and other domestic workers fees for finding them jobs.

The province announced Wednesday it would repeal a decades-old exemption from a rule prohibiting charging job seekers fees. Agencies that find jobs for domestic workers will also have to be licensed by the province.

The changes go into effect on Sept. 1.

"There is no good reason for this exemption to exist," said Service Alberta Minister Heather Klimchuk in a statement. "It is already illegal for employment agencies to charge for helping find work for people in other sectors and domestic workers deserve to have the same protection."

Rules against misrepresenting working conditions and wages to prospective employees will continue to apply to employment agencies, the release noted.

A spokesman for the province said the fees charged to nannies coming from abroad are typically in the thousands of dollars and most likely the new employer would have to cover the agency's cost.