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Jobs & Careers

Part-time, casual & short-term work

Part-time, casual and short-term workPart-time, casual and short-term workers represent a significant proportion of employees in Victoria. The Australian Bureau of Statistics has reported that in 2007 25% of Victorian workers were casual workers, and 29% worked part-time.

So what's the difference between full-time ongoing work and casual, part-time or short-term employment?

Part-time and casual work

A part-time job is one that employs you for less than a full working week.

For example, a job that requires you to work only Mondays and Thursdays each week is considered part-time. So is a job that requires you to work only from 9am-1pm Monday to Friday.

A casual job is a job with no set or guaranteed hours of work. Casual employees work the number of hours that their employers require. This is usually set out by a list, called a "roster". A roster indicates the times and dates that you are expected to start work (these are called "shifts"), and how long you are expected to work for each shift.

The actual hours worked as part of a casual job can vary from week to week, depending on the nature of the job and changes to the roster. One week you might be required to work on Saturday and Sunday, the next only Saturday, and the next you might have to work Monday and Thursday.

Why do part-time or casual work?

People do part-time and casual work for lots of reasons, including:

  • Unavailability of full-time jobs
  • Wanting to gain experience or build up a resume
  • Having spare time during school holidays 
  • Opening doors for a full-time job 
  • Needing money while studying 
  • Trying out a job before pursuing it as a career
  • Paying the bills while following another career or interest, such as art or music
  • Being unable to work full-time

An additional benefit of casual work - but NOT part-time work - is that the hourly rate of pay is often higher than full-time workers doing the same job. The reason that casual rates are higher than full-time rates is because casual employees don't have as many benefits as full-time employees (see Pay and conditions, below).

Short-term contract work

Short-term contract jobs are jobs that have a definite end date. The length of the contract is specified in the contract itself. Short-term or contract jobs could last for one month, three months or even twelve months.

Some people choose short-term jobs because they don't want to feel like they will be stuck in the same job for a long time.

If you're thinking of returning to study or travelling in the near future, taking on a short-term job is a good option to avoid having to resign from a permanent job just a few weeks or months after you start.

Taking on a short-term contract is a good stepping stone towards finding full-time work. It gives you the opportunity to expand your networks and helps you to tap into the hidden job market.

Sometimes you might be offered another short-term contract when your existing short-term contract ends, but other times your work with that employer finishes with the end of the contract.

To find out more about contracts, check out our Employment contracts page.

Pay and conditions

Casual work and short-term contract work usually pays more than full-time work. However, there are trade-offs for this kind of flexibility and higher wages. Contract workers often don't receive:

  • Sick leave 
  • Public holiday pay
  • Annual leave

Make sure you know what entitlements are (and aren't) provided by your employer before signing a contract. Check out our Employment rights section for more information about contracts, payments and other employee rights.

For more information about the rights of casual workers, check out our Casual work page.

Part-time, casual and short-term contract work links

Here are some links to sites that can help you find part-time, casual and short-term work, as well as links to sites looking at the issues relating to this kind of work situation.

Seek
Use Seek's Job Search tool to specify whether you're looking for for part-time, casual or contract work.

JobWatch
This site features information about rights and entitlements of workers, including young people, part-time and casual workers.

My Future - Trends of Work
This page explains some of the different ways people are structuring their work lives, including part-time and casual work.

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