the Applicant v High Level Recruitment Pty Ltd
Citation: [2026] FWC 3209
At a glance
- Employees affected
- 1
What happened
the Applicant worked as a casual labour hire employee for High Level Recruitment Pty Ltd, trading as Job Connect. In November 2025, he signed a Temporary Assignment Agreement. He was assigned to PFD Food Services, but due to family reasons, he couldn't start the assignment as planned. After commencing the assignment on February 2, 2026, PFD reported concerns about his behaviour, leading Job Connect to terminate his assignment with PFD on February 5, 2026. Job Connect informed the Applicant that he was no longer required at PFD but might be offered future assignments. the Applicant then emailed Job Connect seeking clarification, and Job Connect claims to have informed him he remained an employee.
What was decided
The Fair Work Commission found that the Applicant was not dismissed by Job Connect. The Commission determined that terminating an assignment doesn't automatically terminate the employee's employment with a labour hire company. The decision emphasized that the Applicant’s understanding, as evidenced by his email to Job Connect, was that only his assignment with PFD had ended, and he might be offered future placements. The application under s 365 of the Fair Work Act was dismissed.
What it means for employers
Employers, particularly labour hire companies, should be aware that terminating an assignment doesn't necessarily terminate the employee's employment contract. Clear communication is crucial when ending assignments, ensuring employees understand their ongoing employment status and potential for future work. Maintaining records of communication with employees is also important.
What it means for employees
Employees working through labour hire companies should carefully review their contracts to understand their rights and obligations. If an assignment ends, it doesn't always mean the employment relationship has ended. Seek clarification from the labour hire company regarding your ongoing employment status and potential for future assignments.
Want this applied to your situation?
Reading the decision is free. FairWork Mate goes further — it reads the full case library and applies precedents like this one to your specific facts, citing the cases as it reasons. General information, not a guaranteed outcome or legal advice.
Every statement above is drawn from the published decision. Read the original here:
https://www.fwc.gov.au/documents/decisionssigned/pdf/2026fwc3209.pdfWant more cases like this?
FairWork Mate tracks Fair Work Ombudsman, Fair Work Commission and Federal Court decisions across Australia. The AI advisor answers plain-English questions grounded on the full corpus — awards cited, industry, penalty amounts and affected employee counts — with a citation to the underlying decision on every answer.
Individual case summaries on this site are free. The full FWC and Federal Court library behind every advisor answer is on Pro.
FairWork Mate AI
This is one decision. Pro reads all of them.
Free case pages cite the top 250 decisions. Pro opens the full Fair Work Commission and Federal Court library, cross-references your own situation against it, and cites the decision behind every answer — plus document upload, so it can read your letter or contract line by line. 150 questions a month, cancel anytime.
Just need today sorted? A Day Pass is 25 questions over 24 hours. No account, nothing to cancel.
Get notified on new Fair Work cases
Free email alerts when we publish new underpayment decisions, penalty orders, and workplace law updates.
Free forever. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
This summary was drafted from the published decision and reviewed before publishing. It is general information, not legal advice. For your specific situation, speak to the Fair Work Ombudsman (13 13 94) or a qualified lawyer. About these summaries & corrections