Australia has had one of the highest levels of casual employment in the world. This report outlines how this is changing, largely because of the current Australians Government's commitment to job security, including through the Secure Jobs Better Pay and Closing Loopholes reforms to workplace laws. These reforms have changed the hiring practices of employers. The report analyses employers arguments mounted against these reforms.

The Closing Loopholes reforms introduced a new definition of casual employment and gave the Fair Work Commission the power to settle disputes over an employee seeking to move into permanent work. The reforms provide a clear and objective basis for who is and who isn’t a casual employee, rather than letting the employer decide. 

Key findings

• 230,000 workers are now in permanent jobs instead of casual ones due to the current federal government’s IR reforms.
• Nine in ten of all new jobs created during the current federal government's term have been permanent, causing the level of casual employment to drop to 22% of all employment, down from the average of 24% under nine years of Coalition governments.
• Casual workers who want to switch to permanent work now have access to a clear pathway to permanent jobs because of changes in laws to support more secure jobs.
• The Coalition government has committed to repealing the new definition if elected.