Hiring in Australia? Superannuation runs the opposite way you’d expect.

Australia is one of the most established, English-speaking places to build an Asia-Pacific team, but getting your employment model wrong still carries real cost in time, money, and compliance. We help you choose the right way to hire, place you with the right partner, and stay alongside you for the life of the relationship.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners
  • On your side at renewal

A great market to hire in. A single employer-funded contribution system underneath.

Australia is a high-income, English-speaking OECD economy and one of the world’s leading exporters of iron ore, lithium and LNG, but its Superannuation Guarantee runs the opposite way to most social-security systems you may already know: employers alone fund the 12% contribution, employees make no matching payment, and getting that asymmetry wrong is the mistake we see most often.

01

One of the OECD’s few AAA-rated economies

Australia holds one of only a handful of AAA sovereign credit ratings in the world, backed by mature capital markets, a highly skilled workforce, and a resource-export base, iron ore, LNG, critical minerals, most economies do not have. The Australian dollar floats freely, so currency movement is still a real, ongoing part of your cost planning, even without a currency peg to track.

02

One Fair Work Act, layered with Modern Awards

A single national Fair Work Act, 11 National Employment Standards, industry-specific Modern Awards on top of the statutory floor, and unfair-dismissal protections that apply once an employee clears the minimum employment period (6 months, or 12 months in a small business) mean your employment structure has to be chosen with care.

03

Independent expert advice

Not sure whether you need EOR, payroll, or your own Pty Ltd company? We map your headcount, timeline, and risk profile and give you a clear recommendation, not a product pitch.

Four ways to hire in Australia. Same four models, only one fits your timeline.

Most businesses arrive having already decided, and often decided too quickly. Here is the honest version of each route in Australia. When one fits, the detailed guide is one click away.

Employer of Record

An EOR partner becomes the legal employer of your Australian staff, handling the contract, payroll, statutory withholdings (PAYG income tax, Superannuation Guarantee), and Fair Work Act compliance, while you direct the work. Operational in days, no entity needed. Best for testing the market or hiring a small team.

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Global Payroll

For when you already have an Australian entity, or want to consolidate payroll across several countries. You stay the legal employer; a specialist partner runs the monthly PAYG withholding, Superannuation Guarantee contributions, and Single Touch Payroll reporting to the ATO correctly.

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Entity Formation (Pty Ltd)

Your own Australian company, almost always a proprietary limited company (Pty Ltd), registered with ASIC. Full control and a local presence, but you need at least one Australian-resident director, and you carry the registration and ongoing filings. Right when the headcount and permanence justify it.

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PEO Services

A co-employment model alongside your own Australian entity. True PEO co-employment is far less established in Australia than in the US, so for most companies EOR or managed payroll is the better fit. We will tell you honestly which one your situation calls for.

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Australia at a glance

Currency

Australian dollar (AUD). Salaries are set and paid in AUD, which floats freely against every major currency; if your budget lives in USD, EUR or GBP, exchange movement quietly changes your real cost.

Minimum wage (2026-27)

AUD 26.44 per hour, AUD 1,004.90 per week (38-hour week), effective 1 July 2026, one national rate set by the Fair Work Commission; most employees are covered by a Modern Award setting a higher classification minimum.

Employer costs

Employers pay a 12% Superannuation Guarantee on ordinary time earnings, paid into each employee’s own complying super fund rather than to a tax authority. There is no employee-side match: the Superannuation Guarantee is entirely employer-funded.

Leave & Notice

Australia is not at-will once the minimum employment period is served (6 months, or 12 months in a small business): unfair-dismissal protections then apply, with 1 to 4 weeks’ statutory notice depending on tenure. Minimum 4 weeks’ paid annual leave, plus 7 national public holidays and additional state or territory dates (10 to 13 total depending on jurisdiction).

Hiring in Australia: quick answers

The questions we are asked most about hiring in Australia.

What is the fastest way to hire someone in Australia?

An Employer of Record. Your hire can start within days, with a compliant Australian employment contract from day one and no entity to set up. It is the lowest-risk way to test the market or place a small team.

Do I need an Australian entity to hire?

No. With an EOR you can employ people in Australia without your own company. You only need to incorporate a Pty Ltd when you are committing to a permanent, larger presence, and we will tell you honestly when that point arrives.

The Fair Work Act’s National Employment Standards and the Modern Award system layered on top of them, the Superannuation Guarantee’s employer-only funding, and unfair-dismissal protections that apply once an employee clears the minimum employment period, rather than at-will termination. None of it is a problem when handled correctly, which is the point of getting the model right at the start.

We are independent: we assess what you actually need, place you with the right vetted partner, secure pricing you will not get going direct, and stay on your side to escalate or renegotiate. You get advice, not a product pitch.

Let’s map your Australia hire.

Tell us who you want to hire and where you are headed in Australia. One conversation maps your options, flags the risks, and usually gets you to a better answer, and better pricing, than going direct. No pitch.

Tax and labour data verified July 2026 (ATO, Fair Work Commission, ASIC). Figures change; we confirm the current position when we scope your hire.