Casual vs part-time vs full-time: which should you hire?

The employment type you choose shapes your roster flexibility, your hourly cost and your obligations. A quick tour of the three options and when each one fits a small local business.

Casual

No guaranteed hours, no paid leave, and a casual loading (typically 25% under awards) on top of the base rate. You can flex the roster week to week, and in most cases either side can end the arrangement without notice. The trade-offs: the higher hourly rate, less continuity, and the fact that long-term regular casuals may gain a right to request conversion to permanent employment under the employee choice pathway. Best for: variable trade, seasonal peaks, weekend cover, trying someone out.

Part-time

Guaranteed regular hours (fewer than 38 a week) with paid annual and sick leave on a pro-rata basis, and notice periods on termination. The hourly rate is lower than a casual's because there's no loading, and a part-timer who knows their Tuesday-to-Saturday pattern tends to stay longer. Many awards require agreed days and times in writing, with overtime implications if you change them - check your award on the Fair Work awards finder. Best for: your steady core roster.

Full-time

38 hours a week, full leave entitlements, and usually your supervisors and managers. Highest commitment, lowest hourly cost, most continuity. Best for: the people who run the place when you're not there.

The practical rule of thumb

• Cover your guaranteed, predictable hours with part-time or full-time staff - you'll pay less per hour and keep people longer.
• Use casuals for genuine peaks and gaps, not as a permanent roster you never formalise.
• Reassess every six months: if a casual has worked the same pattern all along, conversion rules may be in play, and offering permanency is often the cheaper, safer path anyway.

Whichever type you choose, hiring locally means the person can reliably get to work. Post the role on My Local Jobs and applications arrive with availability up front, so you can see at a glance who fits the shifts you need.