On-Hire Labour Agreement
Bring skilled overseas workers onto your construction, civil and renewable energy projects, without becoming a visa sponsor yourself. TradeConnex sponsors, employs and on-hires them to you.
What it is
Infrastructure Australia forecasts the nation will be short more than 300,000 construction and infrastructure workers by 2027, as civil and renewable energy projects accelerate. When the right people can't be found locally, you need another way to bring them in.
TradeConnex holds an On-Hire Labour Agreement (OHLA) with the Australian Department of Home Affairs — a status only a small number of recruitment companies are granted.
Under our agreement, we sponsor skilled overseas workers on a Subclass 482 (Skills in Demand) visa for up to four years, employ them directly, and on-hire them to your business. You get the people your project needs. We handle the sponsorship, the compliance and the payroll. And because our agreement covers all of Australia, we can place sponsored workers on projects in any state or territory.
Source: Infrastructure Australia.
Why use our OHLA
You don't need to become an approved sponsor. You use our agreement.
Applications lodged under an OHLA are prioritised by the Department, so skilled workers can be on site sooner.
No sponsorship infrastructure to build, and no internal compliance burden.
As the sponsoring employer, TradeConnex holds the sponsorship obligations and liabilities, not you.
Scale your team for a project without adding permanent headcount.
Fill positions that have sat open for want of local talent.
Our agreement lets us sponsor and place workers on projects anywhere in Australia.
How it works
We stay the legal employer the whole way through, so the compliance never lands on you.
Tell us the position, the project and the skills you need.
Or we sponsor a candidate you've already identified.
On a Subclass 482 visa under our agreement.
We stay the legal employer, managing payroll, visa conditions and compliance throughout.
What we handle
You direct the worker's day-to-day on site. We take care of everything behind it.
Roles we can sponsor
We can sponsor skilled occupations across construction, civil and renewable energy, including (subject to the Department's official list):
The role must appear on the Department of Home Affairs' Skilled Occupation List, which covers 400+ skilled occupations. See the full list
Not sure if your role qualifies? Talk to us and we'll check it against the list for you.
Everything employers ask us about hiring skilled overseas workers through our On-Hire Labour Agreement.
It's a formal agreement with the Australian Department of Home Affairs that lets an approved company sponsor skilled overseas workers and place (on-hire) them with other Australian businesses. TradeConnex holds one, so you don't have to.
No. You hire through our agreement, so there's no need to become an approved Standard Business Sponsor or build any sponsorship setup of your own.
The Subclass 482 (Skills in Demand) visa allows skilled workers to stay for up to four years.
It varies with each case, from a few weeks to a few months. Applications under an OHLA are prioritised by the Department, so workers can often be on site sooner than through standard sponsorship.
All of them. Our agreement covers the whole of Australia, so we can place workers on projects in any state or territory.
Any role on the Department's Skilled Occupation List, which covers 400+ skilled occupations. In our sectors that commonly includes engineers, project and site managers, surveyors, estimators and selected trades. If you're not sure, send us the role and we'll check.
Yes. Every sponsored role goes through Labour Market Testing, which means the position is advertised locally first. The OHLA is for roles you genuinely can't fill from the local market.
We do. TradeConnex is the legal employer and handles the employment contract, payroll, tax, superannuation and all visa compliance. You direct their day-to-day work on site.
Got a specific role in mind? Hit the right team member directly, they pick up.
Get started
If you have a role you can't fill locally, send us:
We'll tell you quickly whether the role is eligible and what happens next.
Prefer to talk?
1300 995 234Email us
info@tradeconnex.com.auYour form has been submitted successfully and we appreciate your interest. Our team will review the information provided and be in contact shortly.
If you have any immediate questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
