More than one job - what do we know?
The proportion of employed Australians holding multiple jobs has risen from 5.5 per cent to 6.8 per cent in a decade, with particularly large increases among younger workers.
Holding down a second job is becoming an increasingly common feature of Australian working life.
New ABS Labour Account data show the proportion of employed Australians holding multiple jobs has risen from 5.5 per cent in June 2016 to 6.8 per cent in June 2026.
That might sound like a modest increase. Across Australia’s workforce, however, it represents a significant structural shift.
The trend is particularly pronounced among younger workers.
Among people aged 20–24, 11.1 per cent now hold multiple jobs — roughly one in every nine employed people in that age group. The rate was 9.2 per cent a decade earlier.
But the largest increase has occurred among 25–34 year-olds. Their multiple-job-holding rate has jumped from 6.3 per cent to 8.9 per cent since 2016 — an increase of around 41 per cent.
The pattern continues into the 35–44 age group, where the rate has risen from 4.7 to 6.1 per cent.
Women are also more likely than men to have multiple jobs. In June 2026, the rate was approximately 7.5 per cent for women, compared with 6.1 per cent for men.
The data do not tell us why workers are taking additional jobs. Cost-of-living pressures, changing work preferences, greater casualisation and the growth of industries where multiple employment relationships are common could all contribute.
But the direction is clear.
Australia’s labour market is increasingly not simply about whether someone has a job.
For a growing number of Australians, the question is how many jobs they need or choose to have.
| Age | 2016 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20–24 | 9.2% | 11.1% | +1.9pp |
| 25–34 | 6.3% | 8.9% | +2.6pp |
| 35–44 | 4.7% | 6.1% | +1.4pp |