Expand your global workforce in Australia
Your guide to the employment landscape, working customs and local labor laws in Australia
Capital
Canberra
Currency
Australian Dollar (AUD)
Languages
English (Official)
GDP per Capita
$64,711.77
Employer Tax
25%
Payroll Frequency
Monthly/Bi-monthly/Bi-weekly depending on state provisions
Talent overview
A highly developed, high-income country, Australia, has the world’s 13th biggest economy. It ranks at the 8th position in human development and 10th in the world per capita income. An abundance of natural resources and robust international trade forms the backbone of the Australian economy.
Major economic hubs:
Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney
Skills in demand:
Digital Transformation Skills, IT industry, Technical Specialists
Australia
Top local universities in Australia
The University of New South Wales
RANKING
Australia : 1
World : 71
Monash University
RANKING
Australia : 2
World : 86
University of Sydney
RANKING
Australia : 3
World : 93
University of Melbourne
RANKING
Australia : 4
World : 94
University of Queensland
RANKING
Australia : 5
World : 108
Top Local Job Boards:
Seek, Indeed, Jobsearch.gov.au
Number of LinkedIn users:
14,370,000
Top Recruitment Agencies:
Where to find talent
Top Local Job Boards:
Top Local Job Boards
Number of LinkedIn users:
Number of LinkedIn users
Top Recruitment Agencies:
Top Recruitment Agencies:
Salary Data
Some of the top jobs in Australia and their yearly salaries are listed below:
| Job Title | Average Monthly Salary (AUD) | Average Monthly Salary (USD) |
| Accountant | 5,510 | 3,736 |
| Financial Analyst | 10,100 | 6,849 |
| Graphic Designer | 4,680 | 3,173 |
| Business Analyst | 9,250 | 6,272 |
| Customer Service Manager | 10,800 | 7,324 |
| Human Resource Officer | 4,510 | 3,058 |
Employ in Australia
Employing in Australia
Employment and workplace relations in Australia are governed by the Fair Work Act of 2009. The Australian labor law framework is derived from:
- Constitution
- Federal and state laws
- Statutory agreements
- Employment contracts
Employee Contract:
No statutory requirements are mentioned in the language of the contract.
Probation Period:
The usual probationary period followed in Australia is from one to six months.
Public and Provincial Holidays
| Date | Name | Type |
| January 1 | New Year’s Day | National Holiday |
| January 26 | Australia Day | National Holiday |
| April 18 | Good Friday | National Holiday |
| April 21 | Easter Monday | National Holiday |
| April 25 | ANZAC Day | National Holiday |
| December 25 | Christmas Day | National Holiday |
| December 26 | Boxing Day | National Holiday |
| January 27 | Australia Day Observed | All except Christmas Island, Heard and McDonald Islands |
| January 29 | Lunar New Year | Christmas Island |
| January 30 | Lunar New Year Holiday (Day 2) | Christmas Island |
| February 10 | Royal Hobart Regatta | Tas (southern) |
| March 3 | Labour Day | WA |
| March 10 | Adelaide Cup | SA |
| March 10 | Canberra Day | ACT |
| March 10 | Labour Day | Vic |
| March 10 | Eight Hours Day | Tas |
| March 31 | Hari Raya Puasa | Cocos and Keeling Islands, Christmas Island |
| April 6 | Self Determination Day | Cocos and Keeling Islands |
| April 7 | Day off for Self Determination Day | Cocos and Keeling Islands |
| April 18 | Good Friday | Vic |
| April 19 | Holy Saturday | ACT, NSW, NT, Qld, SA, Vic, Heard and McDonald Islands |
| April 20 | Easter Sunday | WA, NT, Qld, NSW, ACT, SA, VIC |
| April 22 | Easter Tuesday | Tas |
| April 25 | ANZAC Day Observed | Vic |
| May 5 | May Day | NT |
| May 5 | Labour Day | Qld |
| June 2 | Reconciliation Day | ACT |
| June 2 | Western Australia Day | WA |
| June 6 | King’s Birthday | Cocos and Keeling Islands |
| June 6 | Queensland Day | All |
| June 7 | Hari Raya Haji | Cocos and Keeling Islands, Christmas Island |
| June 9 | King’s Birthday | ACT, NSW, NT, SA, Tas, Vic, Heard and McDonald Islands |
| June 9 | Day off for Hari Raya Haji | Cocos and Keeling Islands, Christmas Island |
| August 4 | New South Wales Bank Holiday | NSW |
| August 4 | Northern Territory Picnic Day | NT |
| August 13 | Royal National Agricultural Show Day Queensland | Qld (partly) |
| September 5 | Hari Maulad Nabi | Cocos and Keeling Islands |
| September 26 | Friday before the AFL Grand Final | Vic |
| September 29 | King’s Birthday | WA |
| October 6 | Labour Day | NSW, ACT, SA |
| October 6 | Territory Day | Christmas Island |
| October 6 | King’s Birthday | Qld |
| October 23 | Royal Hobart Show | Tas (southern) |
| November 3 | Recreation Day | Tas (northern) |
| November 4 | Melbourne Cup Day | Vic |
| December 24 | Christmas Eve | Qld, SA, NT |
| December 25 | Christmas Day | Vic |
| December 26 | Proclamation Day | SA |
| December 31 | New Year’s Eve | NT, SA |
| December 25 | Christmas Day | Vic |
| December 26 | Proclamation Day | SA |
| December 31 | New Year’s Eve | NT, SA |
| December 31 | New Year’s Eve | NT, SA |
Employee Leaves
| Type of leave | Time Period |
| Annual leave/Earned Leave | 4 weeks |
| Sick Leave | 10 days |
| Maternity Leave | 52 weeks |
Leave Compliance
Payroll in Australia
Payroll cycle
Employees are paid bi-weekly (every second week), bi-monthly (15th and 30th), or monthly (28th to 30th).
Minimum wage
The minimum wage is AUD 23.23 per hour.
Overtime pay
On a general note, for overtime on weekdays, the pay is 1.5 times the regular pay for the first 3 hours of overtime and, after that, twice the regular pay. On Sundays, the payment is twice the rate of regular pay. These vary depending on the industries and states.
How taxes work
Employer Payroll Tax:
Superannuation Guarantee Percentage – rate rises to 11.5% from 1, July 2024.
Payroll tax rate for individual states:
| State | No. of staff before payroll taxes to be paid | Payroll tax rate (%) | *Exception Threshold (wages) |
| New South Wales | 13 | 5.45% | $1,200,000 |
| Victoria | 7 | 4.85% (for regional employers – 1.2125%) | $700,000 |
| Queensland | 15 | 4.75% (for regional employers – 4.95%) | $1,300,000 |
| South Australia | 19 | 0 to 4.95% (depending on Australian taxable wages) | $1,500,000 – $1,700,000 (Variable) |
| Western Australia | 10 | 5.5% | $1,000,000 |
| Tasmania | 16 | 4.0 – 6.1% (depending on Australian taxable wage) | $1,250,001 for lowest rate and $2,000,000 for highest rate |
| Northern Territory | 17 | 5.5 | $1,500,000 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 21 | 6.85 | $2,000,000 |
An entity will be exempt from payroll tax obligations if it has a quantum of wages that falls beneath the identified number.
Employee Payroll Tax:
Employees have to pay the medicare levy at 2%.
Employee Income Tax:
| Taxable income | Tax(AUD) | Tax % on Excess |
| 0 – 18,200 | – | 0% |
| 18,200 – 45,000 | – | 19% |
| 45,000 – 120,000 | 5,092 | 32.5% |
| 120,000 – 180,000 | 29,467 | 37% |
| 180,000 – onward | 51,667 | 45% |
VAT:
Australia has GST instead of VAT. The standard rate is 10%.
Bonus
13th Month Pay:
It is not mandatory to have 13th month pay in Australia.
Employee Benefits:
- Healthcare
- Maternity leave
- Paternity leave
- Stock options (Common for listed companies)
Employee offboarding
An employee can resign or be terminated by the employer. The major grounds for termination include:
- Redundancy(operational changes)
- Conduct
- Poor performance
Notice period varies depending on the length of employment. During the probationary period, it is from 7 – 30 days, and for permanent employees, it ranges from one to twelve weeks.
An employee’s job might be affected by redundancy and the redundancy/severance pay for different employment terms in Australia are as follows:
*Note, there is a decrease in redundancy pay from 16 weeks to 12 weeks for employees with above 10 years of continuous employment service.
Visa and
immigration
Foreign nationals looking to work in Australia need to apply for a visa. Application is taken in through the various immigration programs administered by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) of Australia.
The Temporary Skills Short visa (subclass 482) can be utilized by businesses to meet skill shortages by hiring foreign nationals to live and work in Australia for 2 years – or up to 4 years in some circumstances – where a suitably skilled Australian cannot be engaged.
Your employment toolkit for Australia
Expand into
150+ countries
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Overtime Pay
Minimum Wage
Overtime Pay
Visa and Immigration