Changes to casual employment

May 13, 2021

Changes to casual employment

Are you a casual employee or running a business that is employing casual employees? There have been recent changes to workplace rights and obligations for casual employees that may affect you. The Fair Work Ombudsman can help you understand these changes. 

What are the changes?

The changes include:

  • Casual Employment Information Statement
  • Definition of casual employment
  • Casual conversion – a pathway for casual employees to move to full-time or part-time (permanent) employment.

 

These changes took effect from 27 March 2021.

Casual Employment Information Statement

Employers have to give every new casual employee a Casual Employment Information Statement before, or as soon as possible after, they start their new job.

For existing employees, small business employers (those who employ fewer than 15 employees at a particular time) need to give their existing casual employees a copy of the Casual Employee Information Statement as soon as possible after 27 March 2021. Other employers have to give their existing casual employees a copy of the Casual Employee Information Statement as soon as possible after 27 September 2021.

Definition of casual employment

Under the new definition, a person is a casual employee if they accept a job offer from an employer knowing that there is no firm advance commitment to ongoing work with an agreed pattern of work.
    
Once employed as a casual, an employee will continue to be a casual employee until they either:

  • become a permanent employee through:
    • casual conversion, or
    •  are offered and accept the offer of full-time or part-time employment, or
  • stop being employed by the employer.

 

Becoming a permanent employee

The National Employment Standards (NES) have a new entitlement giving casual employees a pathway to become a full-time or part-time (permanent) employee in some circumstances. This is also known as 'casual conversion'.


More information

For more information about these changes, please visit www.fairwork.gov.au/reforms.

You can also find out more information about your workplace rights and responsibilities at www.fairwork.gov.au or call the Fair Work Ombudsman at 13 13 94 (or 131 450 for the Translating and Interpreting Service).


Free webinars

You are invited to register (and share these events) for the Fair Work Ombudsman's free upcoming webinars:
•    Thursday 24 June from 2pm to 3pm AEST – online presentation on workplace rights and obligations for employees in the Fast Food, Restaurant and Café’s sector.
•    Thursday 22 July from 2pm to 3pm AEST – online presentation on workplace rights and obligation for apprentices and trainees.
 


Share this