Labour hire for seasonal demand: A practical guide for employers

Your workforce is humming along nicely. And then a peak period hits. Or a seasonal production spike. Or even a weather-driven surge. Suddenly, you don’t have the numbers needed to meet demand. 

Seasonal labour hire is the answer. But it shouldn’t just be a quick fix. To be really effective, it requires foresight, planning and the right labour hire agency.

We explain the ins and outs of how to build a reliable labour hire pool that keeps your operations running smoothly when seasonal demand hits.

What is seasonal labour hire?

Seasonal labour hire is a workforce solution designed to flex with predictable and unpredictable surges in demand. It involves the short-term placement of workers to support time-specific requirements.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, over 327,000 people worked in labour supply services as of June 2023. That is around 2.3% of the national workforce. Many of those workers cycle between seasonal assignments across the year.

What makes seasonal labour hire distinct from temp or contract work is its tight alignment with business cycles. At National Workforce, we partner with clients to anticipate these peaks, using a mix of sales data, operational insights and industry knowledge to forecast demand and build the right labour pool in advance.

Benefits of seasonal labour hire

A strategic seasonal labour hire plan unlocks a range of business benefits:

• Workforce flexibility: Scale up quickly without committing to long-term employment contracts.
• Cost control: Match labour investment directly to periods of increased output or revenue.
• Access to skilled casuals: Tap into a pool of experienced workers who’ve supported other businesses with similar challenges.
• Productivity boost: Reduce strain on permanent teams and ensure business continuity during peak workloads.

Critically, casual workers aren’t a compromise. “There’s a misconception that casual staff are less skilled or committed,” says Mary Gjurovska, National Account Manager at National Workforce. “But many choose seasonal work for its flexibility. They bring experience, a strong work ethic and a willingness to hit the ground running.”

The importance of talent planning in labour hire

Talent planning is central to seasonal hiring success. Without it, businesses risk being under-resourced during their busiest periods or scrambling to onboard unqualified workers.

Planning starts with understanding your operational calendar: key sale events and known busy periods. From there, it’s about scoping your needs and collaborating with your labour hire agency to prepare accordingly.

It’s not just about hiring. It’s about building a responsive system.

“You need a reverse critical path,” says Mary. “We start with the go-live date, then work backwards to build in recruitment, onboarding, compliance and training. Even if the roles are casual, the planning needs to be structured.”

And for businesses that don’t track labour trends internally, labour hire agencies can help fill the gap. We use workforce analytics, past deployment data and market knowledge to help you guide future planning.

How to plan labour hire for seasonal peaks

Effective seasonal labour planning follows a clear process. Here’s how to approach it.

Set business objectives for labour hire

Clarify why you’re hiring: Are you increasing output? Meeting customer delivery expectations? Reducing overtime? 

Aligning labour strategy with operational goals ensures hiring activity delivers ROI.

Review last year’s labour hire trends

What worked before? And what didn’t? Review volumes, absenteeism, performance and timing. Did you meet deadlines? Were you under- or over-staffed? Did your supplier deliver? 

“This hindsight helps inform better planning,” explains Mary. “When we’re working with a client, we’ll look at the number of people we deployed in previous campaigns. By analysing current and historical data, we can assist with forecasting future hiring strategies, allowing us to prepare more proactively rather than reactively.” 

Identify labour hire skills gaps

Pinpoint the roles you’ll need to fill and what capabilities matter most – for example, forklift licences, warehouse experience, shift availability, physical fitness. Highlight what’s essential and what’s nice to have.

Prepare to hire seasonal labour

Start early. Build timelines that allow for screening, onboarding and site orientation, induction and training. Mary recommends 2 to 3 weeks of planning and preparation for seasonal peaks, even if the placement is only a few days long.

“We work backwards from the start date. If you need 60 people, we map out how many we need to interview per day and how to get them job-ready in time.”

How to attract seasonal labour hire candidates

Demand for skilled casual labour is high, especially when multiple businesses peak at the same time. To stand out, you need to be fast, transparent and appealing.

• Start early: Begin sourcing 2 to 3 weeks ahead of time. More lead time means a larger, higher-quality talent pool.
• Write clear job descriptions: Outline duties, required skills, shift times, locations and safety requirements. Candidates are more likely to apply when they understand the expectations.
• Offer a great experience: Pay is important, but so is how people are treated. Casual workers value being supported, inducted properly and treated with respect.
• Leverage technology: At National Workforce, AI tools like ‘Charlie’, the chatbot, help screen applicants quickly and efficiently. But it’s human experience that defines quality. “Charlie books interviews,” says Mary, “but we still interview every candidate and assess their suitability.”

A positive assignment experience can lead to higher re-engagement rates, while a poor experience means candidates won’t return.

Onboarding and managing seasonal labour hire workers

A successful seasonal workforce is one that’s supported properly on-site. That starts with onboarding and continues through ongoing management.

While much of this can seem daunting, particularly for a short-term workforce, partnering with a labour hire agency, like National Workforce, can remove all of the administrative burden on doing this yourself.

Employment contracts for labour hire

Every worker should be employed under the correct award or industrial instrument, with transparent terms that reflect their duties, pay rates, hours, and conditions. National Workforce is highly experienced in navigating complex workplace industrial landscapes and can support businesses in meeting their compliance obligations under workplace laws.

Employee rights in seasonal labour hire

Casual doesn’t mean disposable. Seasonal labour hire workers are entitled to the same fundamental rights as any other worker, including a safe workplace, fair treatment and access to appropriate training, personal protective equipment and break entitlements. 

Setting expectations for labour hire workers

All workers – seasonal or otherwise – perform better when they understand exactly what’s expected of them. That means communicating clear KPIs, productivity targets, shift patterns, safety protocols and workplace conduct standards. These expectations should be set during onboarding and reinforced throughout the assignment.

Induction is particularly important. Even experienced workers need time to familiarise themselves with your processes, people and physical environment.

“Site induction matters,” says Mary. “Even if a worker has experience, they need orientation to the specific environment. It helps them feel part of the team and perform better from day one.”

A well-structured induction can improve confidence, reduce early turnover and minimise safety risks. Assigning a buddy or team leader to support new starters can also help seasonal hires settle in quickly and deliver better results, faster.

Future trends in labour hire

Labour hire is undergoing significant transformation. Changing workplace dynamics, industrial relations reforms and evolving workforce expectations are reshaping how businesses approach seasonal staffing. Here are the trends that will define the future of labour hire and what employers need to consider.

Greater efficiency

Businesses are becoming more data-driven, using volume metrics and productivity calculations to determine exact FTE needs.

“We love when clients come to us with a full set of data to help them with their workforce planning,” adds Mary. “For those that are in the early stages of this process, we can also help them to develop the metrics and data that will help to drive efficiency with their seasonal labour hires.”

Automation

While automation may reduce the need for certain manual roles, it also increases the importance of skilled, flexible staff who can adapt quickly and fill the gaps where machines fall short.

“This isn’t about jobs disappearing,” explains Mary. “It’s about jobs looking different to how they have in the past. Seasonal labour plays a really important role here.”

Building a reliable labour hire pool

Seasonal labour hire works best when it’s not a scramble but a strategy. With proper planning, transparent communication and the right labour hire agency, your business can face peak periods with confidence.

At National Workforce, we help clients do more than just fill gaps. We build talent pipelines, monitor seasonal trends and deliver skilled people when and where they’re needed most.

“We’re not just order takers,” says Mary. “We’re partners. We spot upcoming demand, share insights and help clients stay ready. Because at the end of the day, their success is ours too.”

Want to build a better seasonal workforce? We’re here to help. Get in touch today.