As more and more people continue to enter the workforce on a daily basis, a key question to consider is “What’s the difference between casual vs. part time employment?”
Casual and part-time employment can be a great option for many people. However, it’s important to weigh the benefits and challenges before making a decision. Before we begin with the discussion on casual vs. part time employment, let’s briefly outline the other types of employment as well. Generally, there are four types of employment:
- Full time;
- Part-time;
- Casual; and
- Temporary
Are you’re looking for flexibility, variety, and the opportunity to explore different industries? If so, a casual and part-time employment is a good fit for you.
However, if you need predictable hours, benefits, and security, then you may want to consider a full-time job. Now that we have basically differentiated the two, let’s address issues that arise under employment law. These include unfair dismissal, workplace discrimination, unpaid wages, etc. These matters can affect both casual and part-time workers.
This article aims to discuss the topic of casual vs. part time employment.
Casual Vs. Part Time Employment: Differentiating the Two
Who is a casual employee? A casual employee:
- Has no guaranteed hours of work per week;
- Is not entitled to receive paid or sick leave;
- Generally works irregular hours in the week;
- Can end employment without giving notice.
When discussing casual vs. part time employment, it is also important to note that casual employees generally receive a higher hourly pay rate than their part-time and full-time counterparts.
They can receive unpaid carer’s leave while they don’t get sick leave. Interestingly, there can be different types of casual employees.
A casual employee can either be a long-term casual employee or an irregular casual employee. A long-term casual employee are also referred to as a regular casual employee, or a systematic casual employee.
A long-term casual employee will have regular working hours per week and an expectation of ongoing work. While this may sound similar to part-time work, the benefits awarded to a long-term casual employee are still different.
However, a regular casual employee may opt for a parental leave or to receive certain flexible working arrangements.
On the other hand, a part-time employee:
- Works less than 38 hours per week;
- Has ongoing employment;
- Works set hours and days each week.
Part-time employees will be entitled to receive certain leaves. These include:
- Personal or sick leave
- Annual leave
- Long service leave
- Parental leave
- Public holidays
- Paid notice upon termination; and
- Community service leave
Primarily, the difference between casual vs. part time employees is that casual employees do not expect ongoing work. They work irregular hours during the week. On the other hand, part-time employees expect ongoing work. They work for a set number of hours or days in the week.
What Are the Advantages And Disadvantages?
Each type of employment has its pros and cons. This section will discuss the advantages and disadvantages about casual vs. part time employment.
What are some benefits of casual employment?
Below is a list of a few advantages of casual employment:
- Casual employees can accept or reject work based on their circumstances and situations on a given day. They don’t need to accept work if they don’t feel like working.
- Casual employees can work in multiple jobs and are not required to provide any notice if they wish to leave a certain job.
- From an employer’s perspective, casual employment allows employers to assess whether or not an employee is suitable for a part-time or full-time position in the company.
- Casual employees receive a high rate of hourly pay, and many people prefer higher pay over entitlements such as annual leaves.
- Employers have more flexibility and they can adjust staffing as required even on short notice.
Despite these benefits, there are some disadvantages of casual employment as given below:
- From an employer’s perspective, casual employment can be very costly.
- Casual employees have no job security and may struggle to make a living from one casual job because of irregular hours.
- Employer’s cannot rely on casual workers as they can always reject work or not show up for work.
- Roster for casual employees is often provided only at the last minute. Casual employees are, therefore, unable to make other plans and commitments.
What Are Some Benefits of Part time Employment?
The list below highlights certain advantages of part time employment:
- Part-time employees have fixed working hours per week, meaning they have a greater work-life balance.
- They can make other plans and commitments as they have a fixed schedule of employment per week. In other words, they have more flexibility to engage in other activities.
- Part-time employment offers good opportunities to those who are unable to work on a full-time basis.
- They are given many benefits, including annual leaves and superannuation.
- If an organisation is busy, part-time workers can take up additional shifts and earn extra money in a given period of time.
Disadvantages of part time employment:
- Because the timings of employers and employees may not always match, it will be challenging to schedule meetings and coordinate with team workers if required.
- It is difficult to measure the performance of part time workers
- The employer may often face understaffing issues.
- Often, part time work can negatively impact career advancement
Casual vs. Part Time Employment Termination
In general, casual workers are not entitled to termination notice.However, policies or contracts from employers may specify notice requirements.For more information, see your contract and any applicable awards.
Part-time workers will be terminated under the same procedures as full-time workers because they get the same minimum benefits as full-time workers, but pro rata.
Moreover, employers can terminate casual employment for any reason, as long as it’s not discriminatory or in retaliation for exercising workplace rights. Examples of non-discriminatory reasons include business needs, poor performance, or misconduct.
JB Solicitors’ Employment Lawyers
TThe main distinctions between casual and part-time employment have been covered in this article. Problems including unpaid wages, harassment or discrimination at work, and wrongful termination can occur in any kind of job. If these problems arise, you should seek legal advice immediately.
JB Solicitors has a team of exceptional employment lawyers with the knowledge and experience to deal with all legal issues. We have an outstanding team who can tackle employment law issues such as workplace bullying, unpaid community service leave, redundancy pay, and even domestic violence leave.
Our lawyers can also assist with employment contracts to make sure that the organisation is following the rules and regulations. We also have the experience of dealing with cases related to unfair dismissal.
Contact our team for all enquiries.