To hire staff in Australia, define the role, find the award or agreement that sets minimum pay, advertise lawfully, interview without discrimination, check the person's work rights, give a written offer and contract, then onboard them with the right forms. Each step has a legal minimum you can check on an official site.
By CrossNation Editorial Team. Sources checked 6 October 2026.
12% of annual salary
Charged only when a placement succeeds. No placement, no fee.
90-day placement guarantee
See our terms.
The minimum terms and conditions of employment come from an award, registered agreement, contract of employment and the National Employment Standards. A contract or registered agreement can't provide for less than the NES.
Source: Fair Work Ombudsman: Hiring employees (retrieved 6 October 2026)
Employers must give every new employee a copy of the Fair Work Information Statement before, or as soon as possible after, they start, and every new casual employee a Casual Employment Information Statement at the same time.
Source: Fair Work Ombudsman: Fair Work Information Statement (retrieved 6 October 2026)
Employers have to keep time and wages records for 7 years, and pay slips must be given within 1 working day of pay day.
Source: Fair Work Ombudsman: Record-keeping (retrieved 6 October 2026)
Employers must check they are employing someone who can legally work in Australia. A Medicare card, tax file number or driver licence is not enough evidence by itself.
Source: Home Affairs: Hiring someone in Australia (retrieved 6 October 2026)
54.3 thousand in August 2026, against 55.3 thousand in August 2025. Over the six quarters from May 2025 to August 2026 the low was 54.3 thousand (Aug 2026) and the high was 59.6 thousand (Nov 2025).
Source: ABS: Job Vacancies, Australia, August 2026 (job vacancies by industry, original series) (retrieved 6 October 2026)
33.7 thousand in August 2026, against 37.7 thousand in August 2025. Over the six quarters from May 2025 to August 2026 the low was 33.7 thousand (Aug 2026) and the high was 40.6 thousand (Feb 2026).
Source: ABS: Job Vacancies, Australia, August 2026 (job vacancies by industry, original series) (retrieved 6 October 2026)
Write down the duties, location, hours and reporting line, then decide whether the role is full-time, part-time or casual. The choice is not cosmetic. The Fair Work Ombudsman says you need to decide the person's employment status to work out the right pay, and a casual employee is one with no firm advance commitment to ongoing work. A position description keeps the rest of the process consistent, and our position description guide shows what to include.
The minimum terms and conditions of employment come from an award, a registered agreement, the contract of employment and the National Employment Standards. An employment contract or registered agreement cannot provide for less than the NES. Use the Fair Work Ombudsman's Find my award tool and Pay and Conditions Tool to get the minimum rate, penalties and allowances for the role, then decide what you will actually offer. If no award or agreement applies, the National Minimum Wage is the floor.
A job ad cannot include a pay rate that breaches the Fair Work Act or an award or enterprise agreement, so check the rate before the ad goes live. Describe the duties and the genuine requirements of the job, and keep protected attributes such as age, sex, race, disability and family responsibilities out of your selection criteria. Where you choose to advertise matters less than whether the ad is accurate, specific about the role and honest about pay and location.
Score every applicant against the same written criteria so decisions can be explained later. Fair Work rules cover prospective employees as well as current ones, which means not hiring someone for a discriminatory reason can be adverse action. If you want to see skills in action, an unpaid trial is lawful only in narrow circumstances, usually a short demonstration under direct supervision. Our interview and reference check guide covers questions to use and to avoid.
Before the start date, confirm the person can legally work in Australia. Home Affairs sets out the steps: confirm citizenship, or permanent residency, or a visa with work entitlements, using the Visa Entitlement Verification Online system (VEVO) where needed. A Medicare card, tax file number or driver licence is not enough evidence on its own. National workplace laws protect all workers regardless of immigration status, and the same pay and conditions apply.
State the role, start date, employment type, pay, hours, location and any probation period. An employment contract can be written or verbal, but a written one avoids disputes. It cannot remove or reduce the minimum entitlements that come from the NES, the award or the agreement. Give the person time to read it, and keep the signed copy.
Give every new employee the Fair Work Information Statement before, or as soon as possible after, they start, and new casuals also need the Casual Employment Information Statement. Collect the tax file number declaration and offer a choice of super fund, then pay by the date your award or agreement sets, or at least monthly if it sets none. Pay slips must be given within one working day of payday, and time and wages records must be kept for 7 years.
The fee is 12% of the candidate's annual salary, charged only when a placement succeeds.
Work out the award or agreement that applies, set a lawful pay rate, register for the tax and super obligations that apply to employers, and prepare the Fair Work Information Statement. The business.gov.au hiring checklist and the Fair Work Ombudsman's hiring employees page are the official starting points.
Find the award or enterprise agreement that covers the role using the Fair Work Ombudsman's Find my award tool, then use the Pay and Conditions Tool for rates, penalties and allowances. If none applies, the National Minimum Wage is the floor.
Only in narrow cases. The Fair Work Ombudsman says an unpaid trial may be unlawful if it is not needed to show the skills required, lasts longer than needed, is more than a demonstration, or is not under direct supervision. Pay for any time beyond what is reasonably required.
Home Affairs sets out the steps: check for citizenship, then permanent residency, then a visa with work entitlements using VEVO. This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.
That depends on how urgent the hire is, how specialised the role is and how much time your team has. An agency can write the brief, source and screen candidates and present a shortlist. The CrossNation fee is 12% of the candidate's annual salary, charged only when a placement succeeds.
The employer. Time and wages records must be kept for 7 years, be readable and in English, and be open to a Fair Work Inspector. Pay slips must be given within one working day of pay day.
