Managing Seasonal Demands with Smarter Casual Staffing

Australia has historically had one of the highest rates of casual employment, with almost one in four workers (24.1%) employed casually between 2013 and 2022. Recent workplace reforms have shifted hiring practices, with nine in ten new jobs now permanent, bringing the share of casual work down to 22.2%. Yet, demand for casual staff remains strong, particularly in sectors like retail, hospitality, healthcare, and events industry, where seasonal peaks make flexibility essential.

For staffing agencies, the challenge is finding the balance between staying compliant and staying efficient. Even with new laws shaping how casual work is defined, businesses continue to rely on agencies during peak demand and count on them to deliver the right people fast. So, how can smart planning and the right tech turn seasonal staffing chaos into a smooth process?

 The Realities of Seasonal Staffing 

Seasonal fluctuations are a given in industries like retail, events, healthcare, and tourism. For agencies, these surges bring sudden recruitment spikes, more competition for talent, complex compliance requirements, and rising client expectations for “instant” staffing solutions. 

Casual work continues to play a vital role in meeting these peaks. For many candidates, it offers flexibility to balance other commitments. For businesses, it provides the agility to scale their workforce up or down without long-term commitments. This mutual benefit is why agencies remain central to connecting skilled workers with employers, but without the right systems in place, these pressures can quickly lead to missed opportunities and overworked teams. 

Strategies for Agencies to Tackle Seasonal Peaks 

Seasonal hiring isn’t just about filling more shifts, it’s about having the right systems in place before demand hits. Agencies that plan, leverage data, and use technology effectively are the ones that scale smoothly and keep clients happy. Here are the strategies that can make the biggest difference:

1. Build and Nurture a Strong Talent Pool

Start early. Run targeted campaigns and keep candidates engaged year-round so you’re not scrambling when demand spikes. Entire OnHire’s Application Tracking System helps you: 

• Find and place the right candidates faster. 

• Tap into job board integrations. 

• Track application performance in real time. 

• Re-engage quality workers quickly with automated workflows. 

By peak season, you’ll have a curated pool of available workers ready to go. 

2. Plan with Data, Not Guesswork

Spreadsheets and hunches don’t cut it during seasonal surges. Use reporting and analytics to forecast labour needs and answer: 

• Which clients historically need the most staff? 

• Which roles are hardest to fill? 

• Which workers are most reliable for urgent shifts? 

With clear insights, workforce management becomes more predictable and more scalable. 

3. Simplify Communication with Workforce Apps

Coordinating shifts through endless calls and texts is slow and error-prone. Entire OnHire’s Workforce App keeps it simple: 

• Push notifications for new shifts. 

• Instant accept/decline options. 

• Real-time visibility into worker availability. 

This reduces admin time and keeps staff engaged during the busiest periods.

4. Optimise Rostering at Scale

Manual rostering struggles under high volumes. An advanced shift rostering feature is built for seasonal peaks, that saves hours of admin. 

• Bulk booking of multiple staff. 

• Automated compliance checks. 

• Instant rostering for hundreds of shifts.
  

5. Get Timesheet Management Right

Seasonal surges multiply timesheets. If payroll is incorrect or delayed, worker trust drops fast. Entire OnHire enables your members, clients and finance team to keep timesheets moving so payments are accurate and timely for every shift.

• Automated reminders and easy follow-up for submission of timesheets.

• End-to-end real-time visibility into where every timesheet stands. 

• Instantly generate timesheets from your portal and sync them with payroll and finance automatically. Fast, accurate payroll ensures happier workers who come back for future seasonal work.
  
  

Preparation means making sure your systems work when they’re needed most. Audit your current processes, stress-test your rostering, and run “what if” scenarios. Agencies that invest in recruitment tech early move from reactive “order fillers” to trusted partners who deliver reliability, compliance, and efficiency. 

While the focus of this article is on education and best practices, it’s worth noting how the right tools make execution possible. Entire OnHire was designed to simplify high-volume, fast-paced staffing solutions.  

Seasonal demand doesn’t have to overwhelm your agency.  

The key is proactivity, data, and simple processes. Casual staffing is not just a stop-gap solution, it’s a strategic advantage when managed properly.

If your agency is ready to move beyond reactive seasonal hiring, explore how Entire OnHire can help you deliver faster placements, stronger client satisfaction, and a competitive edge. Contact us today to learn more.