Workers with second jobs surge in effort to combat cost of living

New Australian Bureau of Statistics data unveils a big jump in how many of the nation’s 14.2m workers have more than one job.

Elarna Spinks, 23, makes money by renting her designer dresses. Picture: Supplied

The number of Australians with more than one job has surged more than 10 per cent in a year as the cost of living crisis prompts people to seek extra income.

New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show 947,300 of the nation’s 14.2 million employees had multiple jobs as at March 31, an 87,800 jump in just 12 months. Experts expect the trend to continue.

Some employees are seeking longer hours while others are coming out of retirement to earn extra money, and side hustles using online platforms are booming.

The ABS says the industries with the highest number of secondary jobs are administrative and support services, education and training, and health care and social assistance.

JBS Financial Strategists CEO Jenny Brown said mortgage interest costs had soared along with “power bills, food bills and petrol – it’s the gift that keeps coming”.

Ms Brown said she was not surprised people were taking second jobs to balance household budgets, and she had seen some seniors going back to work to help fund their retirement.

More pain was looming as people’s home loans shifted from low fixed rates to much higher variable rates, she said.

“We haven’t seen the mortgage cliff – I can see the trend continuing,” Ms Brown said.

However, it might be tougher for people to find a second job in the months ahead as the economy was squeezed further by rising interest rates, she said.

“There is a lot of pressure on small businesses with increased wages … it’s going to be interesting to see how it plays out – there’s a lot of unknowns.”

Elarna Spinks, 23, boosted her income by renting out her dresses on The Volte platform.

A survey by Finder.com.au in May found 24 per cent of people had worked longer hours, started second jobs or come out of retirement to afford higher living costs.

“Living frugally is not enough, as paying for everyday basics is becoming an impossible task for many of us,” Finder money specialist Sarah Megginson said.

“Whatever your skills or experience, there are some options you could explore for increasing your income,” she said.

“There are options like pet sitting and rideshare driving, or handyman work via platforms like Airtasker and Gumtree.”

Elarna Spinks, 23, said she was working two full-time jobs last year “just to make ends meet”.

She started renting out her dresses on luxury dress platform The Volte, and this had expanded into a successful small business that she said had earned her more than $15,000 some months.

“There is so much opportunity online for side hustles nowadays,” Ms Spinks said.

Sarah Megginson from Finder.

Airtasker CEO Tim Fung.

“I was going crazy doing two full-time jobs, including one in retail … something had to change, and to be able to make more money from my side hustle and still be able to pay bills and build my own business is a huge relief.”

Airtasker CEO Tim Fung said Australia’s labour shortage of the past few years appeared to have now subsided.

“The number of people looking to make money through flexible work has gone through the roof,” he said.

“If people have an extra bill to pay or need to cover the cost of an extra few hundred dollars on their mortgage per week, they can pick up one or two tasks that covers that cost.”

Mr Fung said popular jobs on Airtasker included handypersons, cleaners, gardeners, plumbers, electricians and removalists.

Originally published as Workers with second jobs surge in effort to combat cost of living