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Casual vs part-time vs full-time: what’s the difference?

Published on September 30, 2026

The main difference between the three work types is how predictable your hours are and what comes with them. Full-time and part-time roles are usually permanent, with regular hours and paid leave. Casual roles pay a higher hourly rate instead of paid leave, and your hours can change from week to week.

Quick answer

Full-time and part-time work are both ongoing, with paid annual and sick leave built in. Casual work pays a loading, usually 25% on top of the base rate, instead of that leave, and gives you the right to accept or turn down individual shifts. The trade-off is certainty against flexibility: part-time and full-time roles give you a predictable pattern and paid time off, while casual work pays more per hour but moves with the roster.

Full-time: around 38 hours a week, ongoing, full leave entitlements.
Part-time: regular hours under 38 a week, ongoing, leave paid pro rata.
Casual: paid by the hour with casual loading, no guaranteed hours, no paid leave.
Moving to permanent: eligible casuals can use the employee choice pathway after six months (12 with a small business).

This guide answers the common questions about each one. It also covers how rostering works in five industries where casual and part-time work is common, and how to read the work type in a job ad so you can pick the option that fits your life right now.

What’s the difference between part-time and casual work?

Part-time work is ongoing employment with regular agreed hours and paid leave. Casual work has no firm commitment to ongoing hours, pays casual loading instead of paid leave and lets you accept or turn down shifts.

Category	Full-time	Part-time	Casual
Hours	Usually 38 a week	Fewer than 38, on a regular agreed pattern	Can change week to week
Employment basis	Ongoing or fixed-term	Ongoing or fixed-term	No firm advance commitment to ongoing work
Paid annual leave	Four weeks a year	Four weeks a year, pro rata	No
Paid sick and carer’s leave	10 days a year	10 days a year, pro rata	No, unpaid carer’s leave only
Paid family and domestic violence leave	10 days a year	10 days a year	10 days a year
Casual loading	No	No	Yes, usually 25%
Notice of termination	Yes, based on length of service	Yes, based on length of service	Generally no
Statutory redundancy pay	Only after 12 months’ service and not with a small business (under 15 employees), other exceptions exist	Only after 12 months’ service and not with a small business (under 15 employees), other exceptions exist	Generally no
Route to permanent work	Already permanent	Already permanent	Employee choice pathway after six months (12 with a small business)

The trade-off comes down to certainty against flexibility. Part-time work gives you a set pattern of hours and paid time off, which makes it easier to budget and plan ahead. Casual work pays more per hour and gives you more say over your shifts, but your income moves with the roster and days off, including public holidays, are unpaid.

How many hours is full time in Australia?

Full time in Australia is 38 ordinary hours a week. The National Employment Standards set this as the maximum weekly hours for a full-time employee, plus reasonable additional hours.

Many awards and enterprise agreements let employers average those hours across a roster cycle. A full-time chef might work 40 hours one week and 36 the next while still averaging 38. Full-time employees get the complete set of entitlements, including a minimum of four weeks of paid annual leave and 10 days of paid sick and carer’s leave each year.

What does part time mean?

Part time means working fewer than 38 hours a week on a regular, predictable pattern. Part-time employees are usually permanent, though some are on fixed-term contracts, and they get the same entitlements as full-time staff calculated pro rata.

Pro rata means your leave builds up in proportion to your hours. Someone working 19 hours a week builds up half the paid sick and carer’s leave of a full-time colleague on 38 hours. Paid family and domestic violence leave is the exception, because every part-time employee gets the full 10 days a year.

Most awards require part-time hours to be agreed in writing before work starts. That agreement usually sets out which days you work and your start and finish times.

What is permanent part-time?

Permanent part-time is a part-time role with no end date. Part-time employees are usually permanent already, so “permanent part-time” is a job ad label rather than a separate employment type.

Permanent part-time pay rates are the same base hourly rates that full-time staff get for the same job under the same award. You’re paid for the hours you work without casual loading, and your leave builds up pro rata. To check the rate for a role, look up the pay guide for its award on the Fair Work Ombudsman website.

If a job ad says “permanent part-time, 24 hours a week”, you can expect a regular pattern of about 24 hours, paid leave and notice if the role ends.

What is casual work?

Casual work is employment with no firm advance commitment to ongoing work on an agreed pattern. A casual employee must also be entitled to casual loading or a specific casual pay rate.

Since 26 August 2024, the Fair Work Act looks at how the job works in practice, not just what the contract says. Signs of genuine casual work include being free to accept or reject shifts and work being offered as it’s needed. If you’ve worked the same regular shifts for months, you may no longer meet the definition, which matters for the employee choice pathway covered below.

What is casual loading?

Casual loading is an extra amount added to the base hourly rate, paid instead of the leave and notice that permanent employees get. Under most awards and the national minimum wage, casual loading is 25% of the base rate. Your award or agreement sets the exact rate and how loading combines with weekend and evening penalty rates, and the Fair Work Ombudsman pay guides list casual rates for each award.

What are the minimum hours for part-time and casual work in Australia?

There’s no single legal minimum. The National Employment Standards don’t set minimum weekly hours for part-time work or a minimum shift length for casuals. Instead, most awards set a minimum engagement, the shortest shift you can be paid for, and many sit between two and four hours.

Minimum engagement varies by award and role. If you’re sent home early, you’re generally still paid for the minimum. Check the minimum engagement clause in your award, or ask the employer which award covers the role.

For part-time roles, your minimum weekly hours are the ones in your written agreement. Changing them generally needs your agreement or the process set out in your award. The Fair Work Commission is reviewing part-time provisions in 11 awards, including the Hospitality and Children’s Services awards, so these rules may change.

What rights do part-time and casual workers have?

Part-time and casual workers share a set of minimum protections, but only part-time employees get paid annual and sick leave.

Entitlement	Part-time	Casual
Award pay rates	Yes	Yes, plus casual loading
Superannuation	Yes	Yes
Paid annual leave	Yes, pro rata	No
Paid sick and carer’s leave	Yes, pro rata	No
Unpaid carer’s leave	Yes, once paid leave runs out	Yes, up to two days per occasion
Paid family and domestic violence leave	10 days a year	10 days a year
Notice of termination	Yes	Generally no
Statutory redundancy pay	Only after 12 months’ service and not with a small business (under 15 employees)	Generally no
Long service leave	Yes, under state or territory law	In some states and territories, for long-serving casuals

How casuals can move to permanent work

A casual can become full-time or part-time at any time if they and their employer agree. There’s also a formal route under the National Employment Standards called the employee choice pathway, which replaced casual conversion in 2024.

You can give your employer written notice under this pathway once you’ve worked for them for at least six months, or 12 months with a small business, and you believe you no longer meet the casual definition. Your employer has 21 days to respond. They can refuse only on set grounds, such as you still meeting the casual definition or fair and reasonable operational reasons.

Weigh up the trade before you apply. Permanent work brings paid leave and more certainty, but your hourly rate drops because casual loading stops.

How rostering works in retail, nursing, hospitality, aged care & early learning

Rostering depends on the award and on when the business operates, so ask about the roster before you accept a role. These are the patterns you’re likely to see in each industry.

Retail

Most retail workers are covered by the General Retail Industry Award 2020. Trading runs into evenings and weekends and gets busier in the lead-up to Christmas, so many stores combine part-time staff on set hours with casuals who cover peak periods. Minimum shift lengths are different for some school students, so check the award if you’re still at school. The Retail Award is also part of the Fair Work Commission review of part-time rules.

Nursing

The Nurses Award 2020 covers many nurses in the private sector, including aged care, while nurses in public hospitals are usually covered by state or territory agreements. Wards run around the clock, so most nurses work a rotating roster that includes nights and weekends. Part-time roles are often advertised as a number of shifts a fortnight or as an FTE, such as 0.8 FTE. Hospitals and agencies also use casual nurses to cover leave and busy periods.

See WorkinNursing for dedicated nursing jobs.

Hospitality

Most hospitality workers are covered by the Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020. Demand moves with bookings and seasons, so many venues rely on casual staff to cover busy periods. Shifts often fall on evenings and weekends, when penalty rates usually apply. Some venues use split shifts, where your working day is broken into two parts with an unpaid gap between them. If you want steadier income, ask whether the venue offers part-time roles with agreed hours.

See WorkinHospo for dedicated hospitality jobs.

Aged care

Residential aged care is generally covered by the Aged Care Award 2010, while home care work often falls under the SCHADS Award. Care runs around the clock, so rosters cover day and night shifts across the whole week, including public holidays. Part-time roles often run on a rotating roster, which means your agreed hours can fall on different days across a fortnight. In home care you may do several short visits in a day, so check how travel time and broken shifts are paid.

See WorkinAgedCare for dedicated aged care jobs.

Early learning

Long day care services are generally covered by the Children’s Services Award 2010, and qualified teachers are often covered by the Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2020. Services open for long weekday hours, so educators work rostered early or late shifts across the day. Educator-to-child ratios mean a service needs a set number of staff on the floor at each point in the day. That suits part-time educators on regular shifts, with casual relief educators covering absences. The part-time rules in the Children’s Services Award are part of the current Fair Work Commission review.

See WorkinEarlyLearning for dedicated early learning jobs.

How to read the work type in a job ad

The work type in a job ad tells you what kind of employment you’d be offered. These are the terms you’ll see most often.

Term	What it means
Full-time	About 38 hours a week, ongoing, with full leave entitlements
Part-time or permanent part-time	Regular hours under 38 a week, ongoing, with leave pro rata
Casual	Paid by the hour with casual loading, with no guaranteed hours
Casual with a view to permanency	Starts as casual, with a possible permanent role later. It isn’t a promise, so ask what the path looks like
Fixed-term contract	Employment for a set period or project with an end date. It can be full-time or part-time, with leave during the contract
0.6 FTE	Part-time at 60% of full-time hours, which is 22.8 hours on a 38-hour week
Rotating roster	Shifts that move across different days or times from week to week
Hours negotiable	The employer is open to agreeing hours with you, so ask for them in writing

What does FTE mean?

FTE stands for full-time equivalent. It shows a role’s hours as a share of full time, so 1.0 FTE is full time and 0.5 FTE is half of full-time hours.

Questions to ask before you accept

Which award or agreement covers the role?
How many hours are guaranteed each week or fortnight?
How much notice do you get of the roster, and how often does it change?
For casual roles, how regular have shifts been for current staff?

Which work type suits your stage of life?

The right work type depends on what you need from work at this point. Part-time work gives you steady hours and paid leave while leaving room for other commitments. Full-time work usually offers the most stable income and the quickest way to build experience. Casual work offers the most flexibility and a higher hourly rate, in exchange for less certainty.

Studying

Casual work often fits around a changing timetable, because you can take more shifts in semester breaks and fewer during exams. Student visa holders can generally work up to 48 hours a fortnight while their course is in session and unlimited hours during scheduled breaks. Check your own visa conditions using the Department of Home Affairs VEVO service.

Starting out

Full-time roles give you the most on-the-job learning and a steady income while you build your skills. If you’re still working out which industry suits you, casual work lets you try a few workplaces before you commit.

Parenting or caring

Part-time work with agreed days lets you plan childcare and school pick-ups around a known roster. You also keep paid leave for the days your child is sick. Ask whether the employer can keep your days fixed, since some rotating rosters move them.

Changing careers or upskilling

Part-time or casual work in a new field lets you gain experience while you study. In early learning, educators can start work while they’re actively working towards a Certificate III qualification.

Relocating to a new city

Casual work can bring in income while you get to know the local job market, and it puts you in front of employers who may offer permanent roles later. Once you’re settled, the employee choice pathway gives you a route to permanent work after six months with the same employer.

Easing towards retirement

Part-time or casual work lets you reduce your hours while staying in work you know. Talk to your current employer about moving to part-time before you look elsewhere, as staying with the same employer keeps your continuous service for long service leave.

Find jobs by work type on Workinitiatives

Once you know which work type suits you, filter your search on the Workinitiatives jobs page by work type for full-time, part-time, contract and casual jobs, to see roles that match. Every employer on the platform is verified, so you can see exactly who you’re applying to before you apply.