Byron Bay deemed number one location in Australia for part-time workers, according to Reckon

The number one spot to have a part-time gig in Australia has been revealed, with one worker revealing her top tips to be financially comfortable without being a slave to the nine to five.

Cape Byron. Picture: John Spencer

The number one location to have a part-time gig in Australia has been revealed, with one worker in this tourist town revealing her top tips to be financially comfortable without being a slave to the nine to five.

Byron Bay is a part-time workers paradise, according to a new study by accounting software company Reckon.

Almost half – 48 per cent – of workers in the laid-back beachside township are employed part-time, numbers significantly higher than the national average of 29.7 per cent.

The research analysed the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data to understand part-time employment trends across the country.

Northern Rivers resident Kate Reynolds has struck the perfect balance between work and play as Byron Bay has been named the number one spot in Australia to work a part-time job. Picture: Supplied.

Victor Harbour, South Australia came in close second with 46.3 per cent of workers having part-time employment, followed by Break O’Day in Tasmania with 44.6 per cent.

In NSW, the towns of Bellingen, Ballina and the Nambucca Valley all ranked high on the list for part-time work.

A Reckon spokesperson said Byron’s famously chilled atmosphere lent itself it to it being the number part-time work hotspot.

“Byron is a hub of cafes, hotels, yoga studios, shops and the arts, all of which lend to part-time work,” the spokesperson said.

“The town is also loved by digital nomads, who often opt for part-time work while embracing the coastal lifestyle.”

Northern Rivers resident Kate Reynolds, who lives near Byron Bay, said she ditched her rat race lifestyle and full-time job in Sydney three months ago to opt for part-time work and a slower pace of life.

Ms Reynolds had adopted thre mantra ‘work smarter not harder’ to comfortably pay her bills and soak up all the fun Byron and its surrounds has to offer. Picture: Supplied.

The 34-year-old does now work part-time and said the secret to having financial security was having multiple income streams.

Ms Reynolds, who has a background in video editing, marketing and content writing, is also a talented voice actor.

When she found she had to knock back lucrative voice acting work while working a full-time job in Sydney, she realised “a full-time job was actually hindering my ability to earn”.

Now, voice acting is 50 per cent of her income. And on average she only works 3-4 days per week – and it’s never nine to five.

“My husband and I were living in Sydney’s Inner-West with a newborn and we just couldn’t do it anymore,” Ms Reynolds said.

“We had a dream of having a backyard and we both love the outdoors, the beach, snorkelling and hiking. Now I pinch myself every day because Byron and its surrounds have everything we could ever want.”

Byron has long attracted part-time workers due to its ultra laid-back lifestyle. Picture: iStock.

Along with her voice acting work, Ms Reynolds is also a freelance writer, and said “you really have to commit to your side hustles and use your stable job as a base before quitting and just freelancing”.

“My biggest tip is to stoke your own fire and work smarter, not harder. I would advise people to look for new opportunities even when their plate is full, because you never know when you’ll have a quiet month,” she said.

Ms Reynolds also has a podcast ‘Six-Figure Salary’ and even has found the time to start writing a fiction novel.

Her advice to people scared of making the jump from full-time to part-time: “Sit down and ask yourself what you really want out of life,” she said.

“What would your ideal work week look like? Are you taking a surf in your lunch break? If you cut back your hours, can you survive on the income you have to try something else on the side? Narrow down what you want and then go for it, I say.”

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