More than 450,000 workers across Victoria’s community services, contract cleaning and security industries are now registered under the state’s Portable Long Service Benefits Scheme, a milestone that highlights the scale of the workforce covered by the program.
The scheme allows eligible workers to build long service leave entitlements even if they change jobs or move between employers, provided they remain within the same industry and work for an employer registered with the Portable Long Service Authority. It applies to full-time, part-time, casual and fixed-term employees.
In most Australian workplaces, long service leave accrues only after an extended period with the same employer. The Victorian scheme, which began in 2019, was designed to reflect the reality of industries where work is often fragmented and employees may have multiple employers over time. By making entitlements portable, the system aims to ensure continuity for workers whose careers do not follow a single-employer path.
The scheme allows eligible workers to build long service leave entitlements even if they change jobs or move between employers, provided they remain within the same industry and work for an employer registered with the Portable Long Service Authority. It applies to full-time, part-time, casual and fixed-term employees.
Under the arrangement, employers are required to record hours worked and wages paid, and submit this information to the Portable Long Service Authority. The Authority then tracks each worker’s accrued entitlement across their employment history in the relevant industry.
Once a worker has completed at least seven years of service under the scheme, they can apply to access their portable long service benefits. Employers are legally required to register eligible workers, and both workers and employers are encouraged to check their status through the Authority’s website.
The scheme currently covers three sectors that employ hundreds of thousands of Victorians and are characterised by high labour mobility. Its continued expansion points to a growing recognition of non-traditional employment patterns and the need for protections that move with workers rather than staying tied to a single job.
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