Blog

Casual work is one of the most common employment arrangements in Western Australia, and also one of the least understood.

If you’re about to start a casual role, or exploring your options through a labour hire company, this guide covers the basics: what casual employment is, what you’ll earn, your entitlements, the industries that rely on casual workers in WA, and how to find casual work.

What Is Casual Employment?

A casual employee is hired on an as-needed basis, with no firm advance commitment to ongoing work from either party. That phrase, “no firm advance commitment”, is the legal definition under the Fair Work Act. It’s what separates casual employment from part-time and full-time arrangements.

In practice:

• Your employer is not obligated to offer you a minimum number of hours
• You are generally not obligated to accept every shift offered
• Your work can be genuinely irregular, or it can follow a consistent weekly pattern. Both are still casual.

Casual doesn’t mean no rights. It means different rights.

What to Expect With Hours

There is no minimum hours guarantee in casual work. You could be offered one shift a week or a full-time schedule, and that can change week to week depending on the employer’s needs. In labour hire, hours follow site demand, which fluctuates with project timelines and seasonal activity.

Many casual arrangements settle into a regular pattern over time: consistent start days, similar weekly hours, same team. Even when this happens informally, it carries legal weight. If you’ve been engaged on a regular and systematic basis for 12 months, you have the right to request conversion to permanent employment.

You can also decline shifts. Casual employment gives you more flexibility than permanent work, and turning down shifts you can’t take is part of that. Keep in mind an employer has no obligation to keep offering you work if you regularly decline.

How Casual Pay Works

Casual employees are paid a higher hourly rate than equivalent permanent employees. The extra component is called the casual loading, set at 25% on top of the base rate in most cases.

The loading compensates for the entitlements casual workers don’t receive: paid annual leave, paid sick leave, and notice of termination.

A few things to know about how pay works:

• Your base rate depends on your award. The award covering your industry sets your minimum pay. Construction workers fall under the Building and Construction General On-site Award (BCGOA), warehouse and logistics workers under the Road Transport and Distribution Award, hospitality workers under the Hospitality Industry Award. The 25% loading sits on top of that base rate.
• Overtime and penalty rates still apply. Penalty rates for Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays don’t disappear because you’re casual. The specific rates vary by award.
• Super is paid on casual earnings. Your employer must contribute super on your wages regardless of employment type, if you’re over the age of 18.

Casual vs Part-Time vs Full-Time

Casual workers earn more per hour but carry more income uncertainty and fewer protections. Whether that trade-off suits you depends on your situation.

What Rights Do Casual Workers Have?

Casual employees are entitled to:

• Superannuation: your employer must contribute to your super fund on eligible earnings
• Workers’ compensation: you’re covered for workplace injuries through your employer, or through the labour hire company if you’re placed through one
• Public holiday rates: penalty rates apply if you work on a public holiday
• Unpaid carer’s leave: two days per instance in specific circumstances
• Paid family and domestic violence leave: 10 days per year
• Unfair dismissal protections: after 12 months of regular and systematic casual work (6 months at larger employers)
• Conversion rights: after 12 months, you can request to convert to permanent part-time or full-time employment in writing. Your employer must respond within 21 days.

What casual workers are not entitled to: paid annual leave, paid personal/sick leave, redundancy pay, or notice of termination.

Industries in WA With High Casual Employment

Western Australia’s economy runs heavily on casual and labour hire workforces. Industries with the most casual employment in WA include:

• Construction and civil works: site labour, concreting, formwork, demolition, and civil groundswork. Perth’s infrastructure pipeline and housing activity keep demand for casual site workers consistently high.
• Warehousing and logistics: volume-driven work where casual headcount flexes with seasonal demand
• Hospitality and events: variable demand means most venues rely on casual staff for front-of-house and food service
• Manufacturing and production: shift-based operations that scale headcount up and down with output
• Healthcare and aged care: shift coverage, after-hours roles, and seasonal demand all drive casual engagement

For construction specifically: you need a White Card (Construction Induction Training) before you can set foot on any site in WA. It takes a day to complete and is mandatory regardless of your role.

Benefits and Drawbacks Of Being A Casual Worker

Benefits:

• Higher hourly rate than equivalent permanent roles
• Flexibility to work across multiple employers, or to decline shifts
• Try out an industry or employer without long-term commitment
• Through labour hire, you can get placed quickly, often within days of registering

Drawbacks:

• No paid leave. If you’re sick or need time off, you don’t get paid.
• Irregular income makes budgeting harder
• Banks and landlords prefer consistent income history. Casual work can complicate securing finance or a rental.
• No redundancy pay or notice of termination if the work dries up

How to Find Casual Work in WA

Job boards like SEEK and Indeed list casual roles directly from employers. Worth checking, but competition is high and turnaround can be slow.

Labour hire companies are the fastest route into casual work in WA, particularly in construction, warehousing, and logistics. You register once and get matched to roles as they come through.

Where to Learn More

• Fair Work Ombudsman
• Australian Unions factsheet
• Casual Employment Information Statement
• Your industry award: search your specific award on the Fair Work website to understand your exact base rates and conditions

Find Casual Work in WA With Flexistaff

Casual employment gives you a higher hourly rate and more flexibility, in exchange for less income certainty and fewer leave entitlements. For people looking to get into an industry quickly, build experience, or keep their schedule flexible, it’s a practical arrangement.

If you’re looking for casual work in Perth or across WA, Flexistaff can get you placed faster than going direct. Register with us today and we’ll match you to roles that suit your availability and experience.