It is commonly assumed that casual employment is a more ‘efficient’ or ‘productive’ way of engaging labour. The reality, however, is that significant ambiguities and paradoxes are associated with casual employment in Australia. These concern: issues of definition, demographic characteristics of ‘casual’ workers and their wages, hours, training and entitlements to superannuation and long service leave.

Suggestions on how better deployment and development can be improved simultaneously are provided by reference to the practices of the better quality group training companies and multi-employer long service leave schemes.