Two hundred and thirty thousand workers are now in permanent jobs thanks to the Albanese Government’s Closing Loopholes IR reforms, according to a new report released by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) today.
The report reveals 9 in 10 of all new jobs created during this government’s term have been permanent, reducing the level of casual employment to 22% of all employment. On top of this, about 687,500 casual workers who still want to switch to permanent work now have access to a clear pathway because of changes in laws to support more secure jobs.
Closing Loopholes reforms, passed early in 2024, include a commonsense definition of casual employment, designed to stop employers from labelling almost anyone casual. The reforms also give workers the right to challenge their status and allows the Fair Work Commission (FWC) – the independent umpire – to settle disputes.
From today, eligible casual employees not employed by a small business will have the power to choose whether they want to convert to permanent work under the employee choice pathway. Under the reform, a casual employee can make a written request to their employer to convert to permanent employment if they have:
- Worked for their employer for at least six months (12 months if employed by a small business)
- Believe they no longer meet the casual employee definition
The option to convert to permanent employment starts today for workers in large and medium businesses, and from 26 August 2025, for small businesses.
“Australians have more permanent jobs as a result of the government’s Closing Loopholes legislation, which cracked down on too many jobs being casualised,” ACTU Secretary, Sally McManus, said.
“From today, many casual workers also get stronger rights to convert to permanency if they want. While many people are happy with casual work, hundreds of thousands are not.”
Read the ACTU’s full report here
Find more information on how to become permanent here
