Which of the following statements about casual employees is true?

Casual employees are often hired on an as-needed basis for varying lengths of time and typically do not receive many of the benefits afforded to regular government employees. One of the key aspects of casual employment is that these employees are usually not eligible for certain forms of compensation that regular full-time employees receive, such as travel time pay. This means that while casual employees may be required to travel or report to work at remote locations, the time spent traveling may not be compensated, which distinguishes them from regular employees who have benefits that may cover travel time.

In the context of the other options, casual employees do not enjoy the same level of benefits as regular government employees, such as health insurance or retirement plans. While it might seem that casual employees could be eligible for overtime, overtime exemptions or specific conditions apply, and travel pay is typically not one of those included for casual workers. Lastly, casual employees are not guaranteed a set number of work hours, as they are typically brought in to cover specific needs rather than given a stable workload.

This clarity helps define the nature of casual employment within governmental and wildland incident management contexts, emphasizing the flexible yet limited role these employees play compared to their regular counterparts.