What award covers employment consultants?

Most employment consultants are award-free unless they work in the labour market assistance industry (Labour Market Assistance Award) or perform primarily clerical duties (Clerks Award). The Fair Work Ombudsman provides detailed guidance on award coverage for recruitment consultants.

How do I calculate annual pay from an hourly rate?

Multiply the hourly rate by 38 hours per week, then by 52 weeks. For example, $30 per hour × 38 × 52 = $59,280 per year. This assumes full-time hours and no unpaid overtime.

Employment Consultant Salary: Hourly to Annual Conversion Guide

Q: Is super included in the hourly rate?

No, super is paid on top of the hourly rate at 12% of ordinary earnings, up to the maximum contribution base of $270,830. The annual salary figure does not include super.

For a full-time employment consultant working 38 hours per week, the annual salary is the hourly rate multiplied by 1,976 hours (38 × 52).

Understanding the Employment Consultant Salary

If you are an employment consultant or considering a career in recruitment, you likely want to know how your hourly rate translates into an annual figure. This guide explains the conversion, the relevant awards, tax, and superannuation. We rely on the Fair Work Ombudsman, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and the Australian Taxation Office for accurate figures.

Hourly to Annual Conversion

The standard formula for a full-time employee is:

Annual gross = hourly rate × hours per week × 52

For a full-time employment consultant working 38 hours per week, the calculation becomes:

Annual gross = hourly rate × 38 × 52 = hourly rate × 1,976

For example, if your hourly rate is $35, your annual salary would be $35 × 1,976 = $69,160. This assumes the same rate every week, no unpaid overtime, no penalty rates, and no allowances. Use our the timesheet to quickly convert your hourly rate to annual, fortnightly, and weekly figures.

Award Coverage for Employment Consultants

According to the Fair Work Ombudsman, recruitment consultants are generally award-free unless they work in specific circumstances. The key points from are:

Labour Market Assistance Award: If you work for an employer in the labour market assistance industry (providing work placement and job searching support under government contracts), you are covered by this award. Classification depends on duties.
Clerks Award: If you are employed primarily to perform clerical or administrative tasks, the Clerks Award may apply. Simply performing some administrative tasks is not enough.
Miscellaneous Award: If you are not a clerical employee and not a professional employee (requiring a degree, e.g., in human resources), the Miscellaneous Award may cover you.
Award-free: Most recruitment consultants working for a recruitment agency are not covered by any award. They are entitled to the National Minimum Wage and the National Employment Standards.

Check your specific situation using the pay guides from the Fair Work Ombudsman.

National Minimum Wage and Award Rates

From 1 July 2026, the National Minimum Wage is $26.44 per hour, or $1,004.90 per week for 38 hours. Award minimum wages increased by 4.75% from that date. If you are covered by an award, your minimum hourly rate will be higher than the National Minimum Wage. For example, the Labour Market Assistance Industry Award has its own pay guide with classification rates. See for the latest pay guides.

Casual Loading

If you are a casual employment consultant, you are entitled to a casual loading of 25% on top of the base hourly rate. This compensates for not receiving paid leave. The National Minimum Wage for casuals is $33.05 per hour (including loading). When using our the timesheet, check the casual loading box to add 25% to your base rate. Never enter a rate that already includes casual loading.

Tax and Medicare Levy

Your annual gross salary is subject to income tax and the Medicare levy. For the 2026–27 financial year, the resident tax rates are:

Nil on the first $18,200
15% on income from $18,201 to $45,000
30% on income from $45,001 to $135,000
37% on income from $135,001 to $190,000
45% on income above $190,000

The Medicare levy is generally 2% of taxable income. Use our take-home pay calculator to estimate your net pay after tax and Medicare.

Superannuation

Super is paid on top of your ordinary earnings. The super guarantee rate is 12% of ordinary earnings, up to the maximum contribution base of $270,830. For example, if your annual salary is $80,000, your employer must pay $9,600 in super (12% of $80,000). This is not deducted from your salary; it is an additional cost to the employer. See super and packaging for more details.

Putting It All Together

To estimate your annual employment consultant salary:

Determine your hourly rate (award or agreed).
Multiply by 38 hours per week and 52 weeks.
Add casual loading if applicable.
Estimate tax and Medicare using the 2026–27 rates.
Remember super is paid on top.

For example, a full-time employment consultant on $30 per hour (award-free) would have an annual gross of $59,280. After tax and Medicare (assuming no other deductions), the take-home pay would be approximately $48,000. Super of $7,113.60 would be paid on top.

Use our reference tables for quick conversions and average pay to compare with industry benchmarks.

Important Disclaimer

Annual pay here is hourly rate × hours per week × 52. It assumes the same rate every week, no unpaid overtime, no penalty rates, no allowances, and no salary sacrifice. Super is estimated at 12% of ordinary earnings only, paid on top, and stops at the $270,830 maximum contribution base. Tax is the 2026–27 resident scale with the full tax-free threshold. Medicare uses the 2025–26 single reduction thresholds because the 2026–27 reduction thresholds were not confirmed here. HELP, the Medicare levy surcharge, and salary packaging are not deducted. This is an estimate, not a determination of your pay or tax.