Your Guide to Christmas Casual Jobs in Australia
Looking to make some extra bucks (dollars) during the Christmas holidays?
Well, Christmas casual jobs might just be perfect for you!
So if you are a student, backpacker or someone looking for seasonal work, this guide is for you.
As in this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about finding Christmas casual jobs in Australia.
Let’s get in.
What Are Christmas Casual Jobs?
Christmas casual jobs are temporary jobs (usually casual or part-time) to meet customer demand during the busy Christmas holiday season.
As many of you may already know, Christmas is the busiest time for many businesses in Australia.
This leads businesses to hire these temporary staff members, also known as Christmas casuals, to help manage the increased workload.
These roles typically last from mid-October to mid-January, depending on business needs.
Some businesses may hire Christmas Casuals for a bit longer than others.
Interestingly, few large businesses start their Christmas casual hiring as early as September or October.
What Are The Benefits of Christmas Casual Jobs?
Here are some main benefits of working as a Christmas Casual:
- Extra Income: Many people, including students in Australia have time off during the Christmas holidays. This makes a great opportunity for them to earn some extra money during this time. You can earn additional public holiday pay rates as well due to many public holidays falling during this time of the year.
- Flexible Work Hours: These job roles usually offer flexible working hours which means they suits students lifestyle to work around their study schedules. So if you are free during afternoons, evenings, or weekends, you can choose your work schedule accordingly. A big plus for international students.
- Potential for Permanent Position: While most Christmas casual jobs are seasonal or causal in nature. But there may be opportunities for some staff members to transition into permanent part-time roles after Christmas offering continuing work.
- Work Experience: For international students, these jobs provide a chance to gain local work experience, which is highly valued by Aussie employers.
- Networking Opportunities: Working in these roles allows you to build a network, which can be beneficial for future job prospects.
Popular Christmas Casual Job Roles in Australia
Here are some popular Christmas casual job roles you can apply for:
- Picking and packing staff
- Retail staff assistants
- Cashiers
- Warehouse assistants
- Delivery drivers
- Hospitality staff members (waiters, waitresses, baristas)
- Event staff members
Industries Hiring Christmas Casuals
Several industries actively hire Christmas casuals in Australia, including:
- Retail: You will see popular retailers in Australia including Myers, David Jones, Target, Kmart, Big W, JB Hi-Fi, and supermarkets like Coles and Woolworths hiring during the busy Christmas season.
- Hospitality: Many restaurants, cafés, and catering companies look for casual staff during the holiday season. Some popular names in the hospitality sector include McDonald’s, Hungry Jacks, KFC, Grill’d, Gloria Jean’s, and Boost Juice.
- Delivery and Warehouse: Increase in online shopping during festive season means companies need staff for packaging and delivery. Major players in the logistics and warehouse sector include Australia Post, Amazon, DHL, Catch, and FedEx.
- Event Staff: In Australia, many events start happening from November onwards, including events like the Melbourne Cup and Christmas markets, requiring staff for merchandising, crowd control, ticketing, and food services.
Where to Find Christmas Casual Jobs?
Here are some effective ways to look for these Christmas Casual jobs:
- Online job portals: Popular online job search portals like Seek, Indeed, and Jora are great place to start with your Christmas casual job hunt.
- Company websites: Larger businesses such as David Jones, Myers, and JB Hi-Fi have their job search portals available on their own websites. You need to check the career section of the website for these businesses.
- Dropping Resume: Walk into small businesses like restaurants, cafés, small retail stores to inquire about job openings and drop your resume.
- Social media: Some popular groups on social platforms like Facebook, Linkedin are great to find these job roles too. Online marketplaces like Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace should also be considered as well.
Tips to Land a Christmas Casual Position
Consider these tips to land your Christmas casual position:
- Start Early: Many retailers start hiring for Christmas Casual positions as early as September or October, so start your job search early to secure a position.
- Set Up Job Alerts: Set up alerts on online job portals to make sure that you receive notifications when the new Christmas jobs are posted.
- Prepare Your Resume: Make sure your resume is polished and ready to be sent out to potential employers. If you don’t have one, consider using a free template available on our website here.
- Be Flexible: Employers appreciate flexibility in availability during the busy Christmas season. So being flexible with your availability can help pick the position.
- Undertake Short Courses: Some roles may require specific short courses (like RSA or RSG). Get these done nice and early.
- Don’t Hesitate to Walk In: Many students feel nervous about approaching businesses directly or as they say in Australia Door-knocking. Don’t hesitate as this can be a great way to find job opportunities.
Bonus Resource
We have created a webpage listing popular retailers and links to their job portals in Australia, helping you easily access job openings.
Also, If you’re interested in learning how to effectively drop your resume in Australia, check out our detailed video on that topic.
With the Christmas casual staff hiring already in full swing now, don’t feel left out if you don’t land a job immediately. Keep searching for opportunities, and you may find the perfect role just in time for the holiday season!
