A casual employee:
Casuals are paid a higher hourly pay rate than equivalent full-time or part-time employees. This is called a ‘casual loading’ and is paid because you don’t get benefits such as sick or annual leave.
You'll only get some of the NES entitlements, such as:
After 12 months of regular employment, and if it’s likely regular employment will continue, a casual employee can request flexible working arrangements or take parental leave.
An independent contractor:
Independent contractors don’t get any NES entitlements that employees get such as leave and notice of termination unless they negotiate for these entitlements to be included in their contract.
Since independent contractors are running a business, you will need to arrange for tax to be taken out of their pay and pay GST.
Independent contractors may need to make their own superannuation contributions. There are exceptions to this, such as when a contractor is hired wholly or principally for labour – in this case, they’re considered employees for superannuation purposes, and the person that hired them is responsible for paying their superannuation.
A part-time employee:
A full-time employee:
As an apprentice or a trainee, you’ll get the same entitlements as other employees, such as annual leave, sick leave, public holidays and breaks. Entitlements depend on your award or your registered agreement, so check your employment papers for information on this.
Employees can be hired as permanent employees or on a fixed term contract.