Redundancies in Australia: what you're owed

You still have a job. But something feels different lately. Restructures are being announced. A team got cut. Your manager is vague about headcount. You are not panicking, but you are paying attention.

This page is for that moment.

It covers what redundancy actually means under Australian law, what you are entitled to, and how to use the time before anything happens to put yourself in a stronger position.

Take the free three-minute Career Change Check at changingcareers.com.au/assessment to see roles people from your kind of work moved into.

What redundancy means in Australia

A genuine redundancy happens when an employer no longer needs anyone to do a particular job. The role is gone, not just the person in it. Under the Fair Work Act, a dismissal is a genuine redundancy only if:

the employer no longer requires the job to be done by anyone
the employer followed any consultation obligations in the relevant award or enterprise agreement
it was not reasonable to redeploy the employee elsewhere in the business

If any of those conditions are not met, the dismissal may not qualify as a genuine redundancy. That matters because it affects your rights around unfair dismissal claims.

The Fair Work Ombudsman is the right place to check your specific situation: fairwork.gov.au.

What you are entitled to

Redundancy pay under the National Employment Standards (NES) is based on your continuous service with that employer. The Fair Work Ombudsman publishes the full scale. As a rough guide:

1 year of service: 4 weeks redundancy pay
2 years: 6 weeks
3 years: 7 weeks
4 years: 8 weeks
5 to 6 years: 10 weeks
6 to 7 years: 11 weeks
7 to 8 years: 13 weeks
8 to 9 years: 14 weeks
9 to 10 years: 16 weeks
10 or more years: 12 weeks (note: the scale steps down at 10 years under the NES)

These figures come from the Fair Work Ombudsman. Check the current scale at fairwork.gov.au because your award or enterprise agreement may provide more.

On top of redundancy pay, you are also entitled to:

your notice period (or payment in lieu)
any accrued annual leave paid out
accrued long service leave, depending on your state and length of service

Small business employers (fewer than 15 employees) are generally exempt from the redundancy pay provisions under the NES, though notice and leave entitlements still apply.

The consultation step most workers miss

If your role is covered by a modern award or enterprise agreement, your employer is likely required to consult you before the decision is final. Consultation does not mean they need your permission. It means they must tell you the change is coming, explain the likely effects, and genuinely consider anything you raise.

If that process was skipped or rushed, it is worth getting advice. The Fair Work Commission handles unfair dismissal and general protections claims. Time limits apply, so do not wait.

What to do before a redundancy happens

This is the part most guides skip. The best time to prepare is while you still have income and access to your employer's systems.

Here are four things worth doing now.

1. Get your documents in order

Save copies of your employment contract, recent payslips, and any written performance reviews. If a redundancy does happen, you will want these to hand when calculating what you are owed.

2. Know your notice period

Check your contract and your award. Notice periods under the NES range from 1 week (under 1 year of service) to 4 weeks (5 or more years), with an extra week added if you are over 45 and have at least 2 years of continuous service.

3. Check your super

Redundancy pay is not subject to the superannuation guarantee, but your regular pay up to the point of termination is. Make sure your employer's contributions are up to date before you leave.

4. Start looking before you have to

This one matters most. Workers who start exploring options while still employed have more time, more leverage, and less pressure than those who wait until after the letter arrives.

Four questions to help you find a better role

If you work in a call centre, customer service, claims, scheduling, reception, or admin, the redundancy risk is real. Automation is removing the most repetitive parts of these roles. But the human-facing, judgement-heavy parts are still in demand, often in adjacent roles that pay more and are harder to automate.

Four plain questions are a simple way to think about your next move.

Check 1: Skills you've already got

Call centre and CS workers carry more transferable skills than they usually get credit for. Managing difficult conversations, working to service-level targets, documenting cases, coordinating across teams, and explaining complex information in plain language are all skills that job ads in customer success, health admin, NDIS coordination, and ops coordination may ask for.

You do not need to start from scratch. You need to work out which of your current skills map to which roles.

Check 2: What the demand data says

This is where most people waste time. They look at roles that sound good rather than checking what the data says about demand for them. Before you commit to retraining, look up the occupation on Jobs and Skills Australia's 2025 Occupation Shortage List, which rates it nationally and by state, and on Your Career at yourcareer.gov.au, which shows employment projections by occupation. We hold no data on individual employers or vacancies, so read current job ads to see what is asked for.

Check 3: Roles within reach

A role is within reach if you can get there with 6 to 12 months of part-time study, a short course, or a single credential. You do not need a full degree to move from claims processing to health admin, or from call centre to customer success. Check what qualifications are actually required for the roles you are targeting, not what sounds impressive.

Some of those qualifications may be available at no cost through Free TAFE. Check dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe and your state's training authority for what is currently funded.

Check 4: Your safety net

If you are made redundant, Services Australia administers JobSeeker and other income support payments. You may have a waiting period if you receive a redundancy payout above a certain threshold. That waiting period is calculated based on the amount received. Plan for it.

Also check whether your super fund has income protection insurance attached to your account. Many do, and many members do not know it is there.

The roles worth looking at from a CS or admin background

The retrieval bundle for this page does not include verified salary or projection data for specific roles. Rather than guess, we will point you to the right sources.

For occupation-level salary ranges and five-year growth projections, use yourcareer.gov.au. Search for the role title or ANZSCO code. The data is published by Jobs and Skills Australia and updated regularly.

For checking whether a training course is real and accredited before you pay for it, use yourcareer.gov.au (MySkills).

Roles that regularly appear as transition targets for CS and admin workers include customer success, NDIS support coordination, health administration, operations coordination, and insurance claims consulting. These are starting points for your own research, not guarantees.

A note on AI and redundancy

A lot of the current redundancy activity in call centres and admin is being driven by automation. Businesses are using AI tools to handle tier-1 queries, process routine claims, and manage scheduling. The roles most at risk are the ones built almost entirely around repeating the same task in the same way.

That does not mean all CS and admin roles are going. It means the shape of those roles is changing. The workers who move into adjacent, higher-complexity roles before the cuts happen are in a better position than those who wait.

See our page on which jobs are most at risk from AI in Australia for more on this.

Where to get help

Fair Work Ombudsman (fairwork.gov.au): entitlements, notice periods, consultation obligations, unfair dismissal
Fair Work Commission (fwc.gov.au): lodging an unfair dismissal or general protections claim
Services Australia (servicesaustralia.gov.au): JobSeeker, income support, waiting periods
Your Career (yourcareer.gov.au): occupation projections and pay ranges
MySkills / Your Career (yourcareer.gov.au): accredited training courses

Take the free three-minute Career Change Check at changingcareers.com.au/assessment. It shows Australian roles people from your kind of work moved into.

Frequently asked questions

How much redundancy pay am I entitled to in Australia?

Redundancy pay under the National Employment Standards is based on your continuous service with the employer. It ranges from 4 weeks' pay for 1 year of service up to 16 weeks for 9 to 10 years. The scale is published by the Fair Work Ombudsman at fairwork.gov.au. Your award or enterprise agreement may provide more than the NES minimum. Small businesses with fewer than 15 employees are generally exempt from the redundancy pay provisions, though notice and leave entitlements still apply.

What is the difference between redundancy and being fired?

A genuine redundancy under Australian law means the employer no longer needs anyone to do that particular job. The role itself is gone. Being fired (dismissed for performance or conduct reasons) is different and does not attract redundancy pay. If you are unsure whether your situation qualifies as a genuine redundancy, contact the Fair Work Ombudsman or the Fair Work Commission.

Does my employer have to consult me before making me redundant?

If your role is covered by a modern award or enterprise agreement, your employer is generally required to consult you before the decision is finalised. This means informing you of the proposed change, explaining the likely effects, and genuinely considering your response. It does not give you a veto. If the consultation step was skipped, you may have grounds for an unfair dismissal or general protections claim. Time limits apply, so seek advice promptly.

Will I have a waiting period before I can get JobSeeker after a redundancy?

Possibly. Services Australia applies an Income Maintenance Period if you receive a redundancy payout above a certain threshold. The waiting period is calculated based on the amount you received. Check your specific situation at servicesaustralia.gov.au or call Services Australia directly.

What jobs can I move into from a call centre or admin role?

Common transition targets for workers with call centre, customer service, claims, or admin backgrounds include customer success roles, NDIS support coordination, health administration, operations coordination, and insurance claims consulting. The skills that transfer include case management, service-level work, documentation, and handling complex conversations. Use Your Career at yourcareer.gov.au to check five-year growth projections and typical pay for any role you are considering.

Redundancies in Australia: what you're owed and what to do next