Victoria Work From Home Laws Could Push 30% Of Remote Jobs Offshore, Orbii Founder Warns

Victoria work-from-home laws could accelerate job offshoring, according to Orbii founder Ivan Trajkovski. He warns that up to 30 percent of Victoria’s remote-capable roles could move overseas within two years.

The proposed laws would give eligible Victorian employees a right to work from home for up to two days each week. The right would apply when workers can reasonably perform their duties remotely.

The Victorian Government originally planned to introduce the reforms in September 2026. It has now delayed them until 1 July 2027 for further business consultation.

Trajkovski said the delay gives the government time to reconsider the policy. He believes the Victoria work-from-home laws could encourage businesses to move more jobs overseas.

“Work from home very quickly becomes work from anywhere and, for businesses, anywhere includes overseas,” Trajkovski said.

“If a role can be successfully performed away from the office, businesses will inevitably ask why it must be performed in Victoria at all.

“Once that question is asked, the economics of offshoring become incredibly difficult to ignore.”

Victoria Work From Home Laws Could Put Remote Jobs At Risk

Trajkovski predicts that businesses could eliminate, relocate or replace up to 30 percent of Victoria’s remote-capable roles. He expects that shift could occur within two years of the policy taking effect.

“This policy may be well-intentioned, but its unintended consequences could be devastating,” he said.

“It effectively tells businesses that physical location is no longer important. Once location no longer matters, Australian workers are competing directly against skilled people around the world who can perform the same job for substantially less.

“Businesses will not necessarily offshore every position immediately, but each vacancy, resignation, restructure or expansion will become an opportunity to reconsider where that role should be based. 30 percent is just the start. Unless a job is consumer-facing, it can be moved offshore.”

The 30 percent figure represents Trajkovski’s forecast. It is not a Victorian Government estimate.

His argument focuses on how employers may respond to permanent remote-work rights. If location matters less, employers may compare Australian workers with overseas talent more often.

Victoria Work From Home Laws Could Encourage Offshoring

Trajkovski said many Victorian businesses have already considered offshoring.

Some employers have resisted because they value staff working in the office. He argues that the proposed laws could remove that barrier.

“This policy gives businesses the reason and effectively the permission they need to finally offshore,” he said.

“If employees have a legal right to perform their jobs away from the workplace, business owners will naturally begin examining whether the same work can be delivered from Manila, Mumbai, Fiji or Bali.

“The Victorian Government may believe it is creating a right to work from home. In reality, it could be creating a business case for sending thousands of jobs overseas.”

Why Remote Work Could Trigger Cost Comparisons

Trajkovski said businesses could cut operating costs by up to 60 percent through offshoring.

Those savings could come from lower wages and smaller office requirements. Companies could also reduce infrastructure, recruitment and employment costs.

Some offshore arrangements may also change Australian superannuation, leave and payroll tax obligations. Workers’ compensation requirements may differ too.

Businesses should seek legal and accounting advice before making those changes. They must ensure every offshore arrangement complies with relevant laws.

“If an employee in Victoria and a skilled worker overseas are both performing the role remotely, using the same laptop, cloud platform and video calls, businesses are going to compare the costs,” Trajkovski said.

“A Victorian employee may involve wages, superannuation, leave, payroll tax, workers’ compensation, equipment and office overheads. An offshore team member may deliver comparable work at a substantially lower total cost.

“Businesses are under extraordinary pressure. They cannot be expected to ignore savings of up to 60 percent simply because the government failed to consider how this policy would influence commercial decisions.”

Work From Home Could Create A “Send, Save, Succeed” Model

Trajkovski summarised the possible business response in three words: send, save, succeed.

He argues that businesses can reduce costs by moving suitable roles offshore. Those savings could then improve capacity and competitiveness.

“Jobs will be sent offshore, businesses will save a hell of a lot of money, and many of those businesses will succeed as a result,” he said.

“That is the brutal commercial reality. For business owners confronting rising wages, superannuation, rent, energy, insurance, interest, tax and compliance costs, offshoring offers an immediate way to lower expenses, increase capacity and become more competitive.

“The policy will not prevent businesses from succeeding. It may help them succeed, but increasingly, they may do so with fewer Victorian workers.”

Victoria Work From Home Laws Could Expand Global Competition

Artificial intelligence dominates much of the debate about future jobs. Trajkovski says overseas workers present a more immediate challenge for some Australian employees.

“Forget AI for a moment. Australians still want to engage with humans,” he said.

“They want someone to answer the phone, understand their problem, manage their account and provide meaningful service. Offshoring allows businesses to retain that human connection while dramatically reducing costs.

“The greatest threat to many Victorian office workers is not a robot; it is another highly capable human being overseas who is willing and able to perform the same role for a fraction of the cost.”

Offshoring also reaches far beyond basic administration and call centres.

Trajkovski said businesses now send a wide range of professional roles overseas.

“Businesses are now offshoring accounting, bookkeeping, customer service, marketing, graphic design, recruitment, software development, IT support, sales administration, data processing and professional-services roles,” he said.

“These people can be highly educated, experienced and fluent in English. They join team meetings, communicate with customers and operate inside the same systems as Australian employees.”

Remote Workers Could Compete In A Global Labour Market

Trajkovski said greater location flexibility could affect both employees and employers.

Employees gain more freedom over where they work. Employers may gain more freedom over where they hire.

“Employees cannot argue that location is irrelevant when it benefits them and then expect businesses to treat location as essential when deciding who to employ,” he said.

“If a worker does not need to be in the office, they may not need to be in Melbourne, or even Australia. That is the uncomfortable conversation missing from the work-from-home debate.”

Computer-based jobs may face the greatest exposure, according to Trajkovski.

These roles often depend on cloud platforms, phones and laptops. That makes physical location less important to daily operations.

“If your role can be completed from a spare bedroom in Victoria, it may also be completed from a professional offshore facility overseas. The difference is that the overseas option could cost the business up to 60 percent less,” he said.

Victoria Work From Home Laws Delayed Until July 2027

Trajkovski welcomed the delay to the reforms.

The government now has more time to consult Victorian businesses. He argues that officials should also examine how employers may respond to the financial incentives.

“The government now has almost another year to consider whether this policy will actually protect working Victorians or push their jobs offshore,” he said.

“It must listen to employers, examine the real commercial incentives created by the legislation and confront the possibility that a legal right intended to help workers could ultimately cost many of them their jobs.

“If the policy proceeds without appropriate safeguards, Victoria may become a live experiment in what happens when working from home turns into working from anywhere. Businesses are already starting to offshore. Many small businesses are moving one job overseas, making sure it works for them and then sending other roles offshore too.

“Just imagine when every business does this. It will open the floodgates to significant job losses. It has already started, and the work-from-home policy will simply strap a rocket to it.”

The delay gives workers, employers and policymakers more time to assess the proposal.

The debate now reaches beyond where people work. It also raises a harder question: where will businesses choose to hire them?

About Orbii

Orbii is an offshoring one-stop shop for any Australian business considering outsourcing or offshoring.

Founded by outsourcing expert Ivan Trajkovski, Orbii provides independent advice on how to outsource successfully, which business functions to offshore and how to avoid common risks and costly mistakes. Its experienced team can help businesses plan, facilitate and organise their offshore arrangements from initial enquiry through to implementation.

Orbii also offers the world’s first comprehensive register of offshore service providers. Similar to Finder, the platform enables businesses to explore and compare providers, services, locations and capabilities in one trusted place. Combining intelligent matching technology with more than 20 years of industry experience, Orbii connects businesses with suitable, high-quality and affordable talent around the world.

Based in Melbourne, Orbii’s mission is to remove the guesswork from outsourcing and help businesses source, save, and succeed through trusted global talent.

For more information, visit www.orbii.co.