What is a labour agreement?
Here’s your easy-to-understand breakdown of what a labour agreement is for workers and businesses in Australia.
Understanding labour agreements
A labour agreement allows businesses to sponsor skilled and semi-skilled overseas workers in positions that can’t be filled in the local employment market, and where the standard skilled worker migration programs are not available.
The agreement-based framework makes labour agreements more flexible than other employer-sponsored visas as they are tailored to a specific business, industry, construction project or region. They also allow for concessions to be negotiated, such as lower English language and skills requirements, lower minimum salary thresholds, and for occupations to be nominated that are outside the standard skilled occupation lists.
Get to know the different types of labour agreements
Company-specific labour agreements
- Tailored to meet the unique workforce needs of an employer
- Negotiated directly between a single employer and the Department of Home Affairs (DOHA)
- Available when an occupation is not on the standard skilled occupation lists, and no industry agreement, DAMA or project agreement already exists
- Requires strong evidence of labour shortages and labour market testing
- Concessions can be applied (such as English language, salary and work experience)
Industry labour agreements
- Used for industries that are experiencing nationwide shortages, these agreements cover an entire industry and employers apply for the pre‑negotiated agreements with fixed terms and conditions
- Concessions are standardised across the industry, not on a case-by-case basis
- Current industry agreements include:
- Advertising Industry
- Aged Care Industry
- Dairy Industry
- Fishing Industry
- Horticulture Industry
- Meat Industry
- Minister of Religion
- On-hire
- Pork Industry
- Restaurant Industry
Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMA)
- Used for regional areas with localised labour shortages
- Operates as a two-tier framework wherein the business first gets an endorsement from the Designated Area Representative or DAR (a regional authority for each specific region), then the Australian government
- Employers in applicable regions can access agreements covering a wide range of occupations, including semi‑skilled roles, and concessions to the standard requirements
- Each DAMA has its own occupation list and endorsement process
The PAX Law team is here to help you with labour agreements
Our highly skilled and experienced team of immigration lawyers at PAX Law will manage the labour agreement application process for your business, assessing eligibility and identifying the type of agreement that would be most suitable to meet your skills needs.
We make sure you understand how each labour agreement option works, why it may be suitable for your business, what your requirements and obligations are, and the occupations and concessions that may apply under the agreement.
Our team of experts will lodge all the required applications and work with you to gather any necessary documentary evidence, as well as manage all communications on your behalf. You can be confident that our immigration lawyers will be with you every step along the way, with a clear focus on achieving the best possible outcome for your business.