Labour hire for seasonal demand: Employers guide

Every business faces its busy seasons — from retail peaks during Christmas to surge periods in logistics, warehousing, and e-commerce. While these high-demand times are great for growth, they also bring one major challenge: managing your workforce effectively. That’s where seasonal labour hire comes in.

What is Seasonal Labour Hire?

Seasonal labour hire is a workforce solution providing businesses with short-term employees to help handle predictable and unpredictable demand during peak periods.

Understanding Seasonal Workforce Challenges in Australia

Australia’s workforce needs shift throughout the year — especially across logistics, warehousing, retail, manufacturing, and agriculture. During peak seasons like Christmas, harvest time, and end-of-financial-year operations, businesses often struggle to secure enough reliable and skilled employees.

According to industry trends, staffing shortages during peak periods can lead to missed deadlines, reduced output, and increased workplace stress. That’s why planning your workforce strategy in advance is essential to keeping operations smooth and efficient.

According to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics, Labour Hire Workers release (Dec 2024), 390,400 people had a job in the “Labour supply services” industry; for 335,800 (86%) of those was their main job.

One key ABS article explains that the January month is “the most seasonal month in the Australian labour market” and that the ABS is actively reviewing its seasonal-adjustment methods due to changing patterns.

A large portion of these employees move between seasonal assignments throughout the year, supporting industries like logistics, warehousing, manufacturing, and retail during their busiest periods.

What sets seasonal labour hire apart from traditional temp or contract work is its strong connection to business and industry cycles. At NewWay Solutions, we work closely with our clients to anticipate peak seasons by analysing trends, operational forecasts, and industry insights. This forward planning allows us to build and prepare a skilled labour pool in advance, ensuring our clients stay productive, efficient, and fully staffed when demand rises.

Benefits of Seasonal Labour Hire

• Flexibility: Scale your workforce up or down depending on workload.

• Cost control: Match labour investment directly to periods of increased output or revenue.

• Reduced Admin: The labour hire agency manages wages, super, tax, and compliance.

• Access to skill casuals: Tap into a pool of pre-vetted, job-ready staff available who have supported other businesses in similar challenges.

• Productivity boost: Reduce strain on permanent staff and ensure business continuity during peak workloads.

How to plan labour hire for seasonal peaks

1. Review your past labour hire trends

Check your previous years’ records to see when your busiest periods occur. This helps you know how many staff you’ll need and which roles are most important.

Tip: Consider trends like e-commerce spikes or market changes that could affect demand this year.

2. Forecast Labour Needs

Not all roles are equal during peak periods. Break down your forecast by:

• Job type: Pickers, packers, drivers, forklift operators, or warehouse supervisors.

• Skill level: Casual, semi-skilled, or specialised staff.

• Shift patterns: Consider extended hours, night shifts, or weekend coverage.

A clear forecast helps prevent overstaffing and ensures the right people are in the right roles.

3. Build a Flexible Workforce

Flexibility is key during seasonal spikes:

• Keep a pool of casual staff: Maintain a database of reliable seasonal workers.

• Use labour hire agencies: Partnering with experts like NewWay Solutions allows you to scale quickly.

• Cross-train permanent staff: Ensure core team members can step into critical roles when needed.

4. Recruit Early and Strategically

Start recruiting well in advance of your peak period. For example, if your busiest time is December, begin hiring by September or October. Stagger onboarding in waves to manage training and ensure staff are fully prepared when demand peaks.

5. Prioritise Training and Safety

Fast onboarding doesn’t mean skipping essentials:

• Conduct safety inductions for all seasonal staff.

• Provide role-specific training for critical tasks.

• Ensure compliance with licences, certifications, or mandatory workplace requirements.

Well-trained staff are more productive, safer, and stay motivated.

6. Plan Rosters and Shifts in Advance

Creating schedules ahead of time helps avoid last-minute gaps:

• Build in buffer shifts to cover absenteeism.

• Use scheduling software or structured spreadsheets to maintain clarity.

• Plan overtime strategically, keeping budget and fatigue in mind.

7. Incentivise and Retain Staff

Seasonal work can be demanding. Boost retention by:

• Offering performance bonuses or referral rewards.

• Recognising high performers and maintaining morale during peak periods.

• Keeping seasonal staff engaged with opportunities for future work.

8. Review and Improve

After the peak, evaluate what worked and what didn’t. Measure actual labour usage versus forecasts and note lessons learned for next year. Continuous improvement ensures your seasonal workforce planning becomes more efficient and cost-effective over time.

Why Partnering Makes a Difference

For a business in warehousing/logistics, having a dedicated partner means you’re not caught scrambling when the surge hits. You gain:

• access to staff that is already in your industry, not generic temp staff

• flexibility to match labour to demand, rather than guessing

• fewer risk exposures around WHS, onboarding and compliance

• more efficient operations (fewer errors, fewer delays) during your busy times

Seasonal labour hire is a strategic lever for businesses facing recurring peaks. With tight labour markets and evolving workforce trends, relying on ad-hoc hiring is risky. A well-planned approach - supported by a competent labour hire provider - means you can meet your surge demands with confidence and flexibility.

As a family-owned recruitment agency, we understand the value of relationships, reliability and trust. Specialising in connecting businesses with experienced, reliable workers who can hit the ground running. From Blue-Collar to White-Collar Staff, our team ensures you have the right people at the right time.

Want to build a better workforce for your next peak season? We’re here to help! Get in touch today.