The Abbott government has also promised that local workers have been protected in the deal by so-called labour market 'testing' provisions requiring Chinese employers to try to use Australian workers to fill any vacancies on future China-led projects in Australia before looking to import labour from overseas.

Tim Harcourt, from UNSW's Australian School of Business, says if the China-Australia free trade deal "takes off" it will likely have positive implications for Australian workers.

The former Austrade chief economist says agriculture and agriculture technology companies are big winners from the deal, as are architectural and construction companies, service companies, and businesses that already export to China.

"Most of my research shows – from past FTAs – that companies that export to China compared to those that don't will pay a lot higher wages, have better health and safety conditions, and better employment security," Mr Harcourt told Fairfax Media.

"You're getting close to 12,000 to 15,000 Australian companies that already export to China, and for those companies they will be able to ramp things up and expand employment," he said.

Paul Bloxham, HSBC chief economist, said the FTA should "bolster" Australia's already strong links to Asia and support the rebalancing of Australia's economic growth towards the non-mining sectors.

"Australia's agricultural and services industries are set to be key beneficiaries, helping to shift growth from mining to 'dining'," Mr Bloxham said.

With Australian unemployment around 6.2 per cent, and expected to creep higher in coming months, the government says the agreement will help to encourage job growth via reduced barriers to labour mobility for Australian and Chinese workers, with improved access for skilled service providers, investors and business visitors for both countries.

Under the deal, Australia will provide guaranteed access to Chinese citizens for "intra-corporate transferees" and independent executives for up to four years; contractual suppliers for up to four years; and installers and servicers for up to three months.

China will provide similar arrangements for Australian workers.

Trade Minister Andrew Robb says the agreement will also protect Australian jobs – despite what the union movement has been saying – because China-led projects will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and Australian workers will be given priority for job vacancies over Chinese workers.

"Already there's a lot of misinformation out there from the trade union movement [about this]," Mr Robb said, adding that Shadow Minister for Trade Penny Wong said last month FTAs negotiated by the former Labor government also reserved the right to require labor-market testing for appropriate occupations and skill levels.

"These agreements meet that test. They're identical," Mr Robb said.

The Business Council of Australia has welcomed the deal, saying it will give some Australian companies "enormous scope" to boost trade and create jobs.

But BCA chief executive Jennifer Westacott has also warned that some Australian companies will not benefit directly from the deal.

"With one in five Australian jobs linked to trade, these agreements turn the tyranny of distance into the era of opportunity," Ms Westacott said.

"[But] an agreement of this kind cannot cover every industry or product – it needs to be seen as part of an ongoing effort to build the trade relationship between our two countries."

The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) says it has not had the opportunity to conduct an analysis of the employment impact of the FTA because the details have not be released fully.

China is Australia's largest trading partner, buying almost a third of all Australian exports. It is Australia's largest export market for agriculture, resources and services.

In the year to September, exports of goods to China totalled $97 billion, or 35 per cent of Australian goods exports, while exports of services to China totalled $6.8 billion, representing 12.5 per cent of services exports.

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