Across Australia, almost a million people earn a living by contracting out their services.

One key difference between contract work and permanent employment is the expected duration of the relationship (i.e. contract work is usually for a defined period), and the type of work to be done (generally highly specialist).

In contrast, permanent employment is typically open-ended, with no formal or implied end date. Many organisations use permanent employees to form the core of their workforce and contract workers to meet fluctuating demands in workload or to fill in gaps in skill set or to help complete special projects as needed.

Working as an Independent Contractor vs. as an employee is something you may be considering or are likely to consider at some point during your career.