I cannot believe that I have been working as a casual employee for more than a year.

When I arrived in Melbourne, I updated my profile on Seek (a job searching website) and then a recruitment agent contacted me the next day. In less than 2 weeks, he arranged 2 interviews and offered me an assignment as a ‘temporary casual worker’. The whole process was unbelievably quick.

At first, I thought the casual works are for seasonal jobs or the hospitality industry. I was surprised to learn that I am not the only accountant on a casual working arrangement. In fact, casual workers make up about 25% of the total workforce in Australia which is incredible!

 

Pros

1. Higher pay

Casual workers have ‘casual loading’, which means get higher pay (usually 15-25%) compared to the permanent employees (source: Australian Unions). This is to compensate for the lack of job security and entitlements such as sick/annual leave.

I heard that some people prefer to be a casual worker due to higher pay. They can get paid more for working more hours. Even for someone who is on a 9-5 job (including myself), it is usually better off financially – though not always the case.

 

2. Flexibility

It only requires very short notice to quit a casual job. In fact, a large portion of the casual workforce are part-timers (source: ABS). For someone who loves flexibility or likes to spend more time with family, being a casual worker is actually not a bad idea.

 

Cons

1. Lack of job security or stability

There is no guarantee that the work is ongoing nor will they offer an extension. When a crisis happens the casual workers are among the first one to be fired as there is no redundancy payment required. As the Stage 4 restrictions are now imposed in Melbourne, it is probably the worst time to be a casual employee now.

The Australian government has provided JobKeeper package to support the people who lost their jobs due to COVID-19 pandemic, however, it is not applicable to the casual staff who work for a company for under a year – which I cannot understand as I think they are the most vulnerable group.

 

2. Harder to get a mortgage

It is challenging for us to get a mortgage as some banks consider me not having a job, even though I have consistent income each month. It makes us very stressful as we are keen on settling down in Melbourne.

 

3. Not entitled to some benefits

Apart from the leave entitlements, there are other benefits that a casual worker cannot access as they are only available to permanent employees. In my personal experience, I am not entitled to the CPA Australia course fees that are available to other employees in my organisation.

 

4. No sense of belonging

It can be very demotivating to be a casual employee. Not only do I have to constantly worry about job security, but the mindset of working is also very different. Learning opportunities may be limited as I am only here for short-term. Sometimes I feel very different from the group.

It can be hurtful when sometimes people compare casual and permanent employees unintentionally. For example, I have heard a few times that it is less likely to recruit good people on a temporary basis. Over the long term, it can cause self-doubt, less happiness and mental illness.

 

Summary

Casual work is suitable for some people but not for me at this stage. Anyway, I cannot be grateful enough for still having a job despite being relatively new in Australia during this unprecedented pandemic.

Just before the COVID-19, I was very keen on working in the airline industry and have applied a few of them. If I got a job at that time, I will most likely be jobless now. I just have to remind myself that sometimes misfortune is a blessing in disguise – but I will not stop looking for the right one.