Record number of Australians are working at least two jobs

A record number of Australians are working at least two jobs in the June quarter of 2021, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The proportion of employed people working more than one job rose to 6.5% in June, 0.6 percentage points higher than in the start of the pandemic. This figure is also the highest since the data was published in 1994. 

“The multiple job holding rate of 6.5% in the June quarter was the highest seen across the 27 year series, and continued the rebound from the record low of 4.9% in the June quarter of 2020,” said Bjorn Jarvis, head of Labour Statistics at the ABS. 

The largest increase in workers holding multiple jobs were in the sectors of administrative and support services, arts and recreation services and, education and training. Across all sectors, the rate of multiple job holding was higher than pre-pandemic levels. 

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“The growth in multiple job holding coincided with a faster increase in secondary jobs, which increased by 1.4% during the June quarter, compared with 1.2% for main jobs,” Jarvis said. 

In the 2020-21 financial year, secondary jobs rose 33% from the early stages of the pandemic in the June 2020 quarter. By the quarter of June 2021, secondary jobs were 9% above pre-pandemic levels.