Hire in Australia

Typical time to hire

1-3 weeks for contractor, 3-6 weeks for full-time

Entity requirement

Australian Pty Ltd. Registration at ASIC. ABN (Australian Business Number) required. Must register for PAYG withholding, Super, and GST if applicable.

EOR available

Yes — from $399/employee/month through a Corpshore entity

Contractor of record

Yes — from $39/worker/month

Standard workweek

38 hours (National Employment Standards)

Maximum weekly hours

38 hours

Minimum annual leave

20 days (4 weeks; shift workers get 5 weeks)

Public holidays

8 per year

Maternity leave

18 weeks Parental Leave Pay (government-funded at minimum wage). Increasing to 26 weeks by 2026.

Paternity leave

Shared in the 18-26 week entitlement (Dad and Partner Pay of 2 weeks being folded into Parental Leave Pay)

Notice period

1-5 weeks depending on tenure (under NES). Longer periods common by contract.

Severance

Redundancy pay: 4-16 weeks depending on tenure (NES). Small businesses (<15 employees) exempt.

Probation

Minimum employment period: 6 months (12 months for small businesses) before unfair dismissal protection applies

Overtime rules

Reasonable overtime requests permitted under NES. Modern awards set overtime rates (typically 1.5x first 2-3 hours, 2x thereafter).

Income tax range

0% to 45% (tax-free threshold AUD 18,200). Stage 3 tax cuts effective July 2024.

Corporate tax

30% (25% for base rate entities with aggregated turnover under AUD 50M)

Social contributions

Superannuation (Super Guarantee): 11.5% employer (2024-25, rising to 12% in 2025-26). No separate social security tax.

VAT / GST

10% GST (broad-based, with exemptions for food, education, health)

Tax year

1 July to 30 June

Treaty network

Over 45 tax treaties

Worker classification

Multi-factor test under common law. High Court decisions (Jamsek, CFMMEU v Personnel Contracting, ZG Operations) have shifted focus to the written contract rather than practical reality. Sham contracting provisions in Fair Work Act.

Data protection

Privacy Act 1988 (amended 2022). APPs (Australian Privacy Principles) apply to organisations with turnover above AUD 3M. OAIC enforces. Major reform (Privacy Act Review) underway.

Right to work

Visa with work rights required. Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS/subclass 482) for sponsored workers. Skills in Demand visa replacing TSS in late 2024.

Non-compete

Under federal review (2023-24). Currently assessed under common law restraint of trade principles. Enforceable if reasonable. Government has signalled intent to limit or ban non-competes for workers under an income threshold.

Collective bargaining

Enterprise bargaining under the Fair Work Act 2009. Modern Awards set industry minimums. Fair Work Commission oversees. Union density ~14%, concentrated in public sector and construction.

New Payments Platform (NPP/PayID) enables instant bank transfers 24/7. BECS (Bulk Electronic Clearing System) for payroll. Stripe Connect supports AUD natively. Superannuation is paid separately through approved clearing houses.

• Superannuation (employer-funded retirement) at 11.5% (rising to 12%) is a significant additional employment cost
• Modern Awards (industry-specific minimum conditions) cover most non-managerial employees and are legally binding
• Australia's skilled migration programme is a major talent pipeline: over 190,000 permanent skilled visas per year
• Sydney and Melbourne are Asia-Pacific's major English-speaking tech hubs outside the US