ABS data shows that Hobart has the highest number of people doing multiple jobs out of any capital city
With the cost of living biting Hobartians hard, more people are doing odd jobs to stay on top of bills and save up for houses. Why the city has become the side hustle capital of Australia.
Tasmania
Don't miss out on the headlines from Tasmania. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Hobart is the side hustle capital of Australia.
Recent data shows that Hobart has the highest rate of people with multiple jobs for capital cities at 8.5 per cent, with the rate for Tasmania as a whole at 8 per cent.
Howrah resident Bruno Cabral is one of those who has multiple jobs.
His main gig is as a removalist and manager at a transport company, but he also completes odd jobs on the side through the app Airtasker.
“In the beginning, it wasn’t supposed to be a second job; it was supposed to just be a pay the bills kind of thing,” Mr Cabral said.
“I moved to Tasmania two years ago — and when I got here, I had no job. Life lately has been very expensive for everybody; I was just trying to pay the bills.
“But then I found a full-time job, and I just decided to keep Airtasker as a side hustle to make a little bit of extra cash on the side.”
Mr Cabral said he enjoyed the flexibility of having a side hustle.
“Removalists don’t have a fixed schedule; one day, I might be doing jobs that take up three or four hours of my day.
“So, with the rest of my day, I can always do some extra jobs.”
With the current economic situation, Mr Cabral was not surprised that many Hobartians had multiple jobs.
“Me and my partner have been trying to save up for a house, that’s why we do side hustles.
“And I imagine for other people it might be a similar situation; maybe paying a mortgage or a new house or car, something like that.”
James Devlin-Spiers turned to Airtasker after being made redundant from his previous job.
“I started out doing it just to fill in the gap between two jobs,” Mr Devlin-Spiers said.
“But it’s something that I’ve continued doing because you get to meet new people and earn a bit of extra income.”
Mr Devlin-Spiers said he planned to continue doing side hustles despite gaining full-time employment.
Airtasker Founder and CEO Tim Fung said more people were working multiple jobs.
“The labour force is changing, and people want the flexibility to choose when they want to work, be their own boss or earn more money outside of their careers to have financial freedom, keep up with cost of living or save for big life events such as weddings, holidays or house deposits,” Mr Fung said.
“Taskers want to use the skills they have to help make the lives of Aussies better every day from decluttering homes to building a trampoline, paving backyards or digitally queuing for concert tickets.
“People are making money in savvy ways, upskilling themselves to meet the growing demands on Airtasker, even becoming skilled professionals at very niche jobs like building pool tables.”
Nationally, the ABS data suggests that there are 1 million people with multiple jobs — representing 6.7 per cent of those working in Australia.
Originally published as ABS data shows that Hobart has the highest number of people doing multiple jobs out of any capital city
‘So excited’: Demand for Dark Mofo tickets unprecedented
Ticket sales are going gangbusters for Dark Mofo 2025 as the festival’s artistic director speaks of his excitement for the hugely popular event to return after a year off.
Lambie defends Gruen process amid heat over meeting disclosure
A Tasmanian minister has criticised an economist who authored a key report on the Macquarie Point Stadium for failing to disclose meetings he conducted with prominent anti-stadium protagonists.