FairWork Mate Insights · Casual work
How casual is Australia's workforce?
About 20.3% of Australian employees are casual — no paid leave, but a loading instead. Where casual work is most common, and what your rights are if you're one of them.
Source: ABS Working Arrangements (2025). “Casual” = employees without paid leave entitlements.
20.3%
of employees are casual (no paid leave)
2.5M
casual workers nationally
24.1%
highest — South Australia
15.5%
lowest — Australian Capital Territory
Casual rate by state & territory
Share of employees with no paid leave entitlements. Casual work is most common in South Australia and least in Australian Capital Territory — a 8.6-point spread.
South Australia24.1%
Queensland21.6%
Tasmania21.4%
New South Wales20.4%
Western Australia19.4%
Victoria18.8%
Northern Territory16.9%
Australian Capital Territory15.5%
If you're a casual, know your rights
Not sure where you stand? Our AI advisor knows the casual rules and this data.
Ask the advisor →How we compiled this. Figures are from the ABS Working Arrangements release (2025). We use “employees without paid leave entitlements” — the standard statistical measure of casual employment — computed across full-time and part-time employees by state. Aggregate only. General information, not legal advice.
FairWork Mate Insights — casual employment in Australia, from ABS open data.