The number of multiple job holders reached a record high of 900,000 people in the June quarter 2022, an increase of 4.3 per cent, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Lauren Ford, head of Labour Statistics at the ABS, said: “Around 900,000 people worked multiple jobs in the June quarter – 6.5 per cent of all employed people. This is the highest rate since the quarterly series commenced in 1994, and about 0.5 percentage points above its pre-pandemic level.
“Along with the 4.3 per cent increase in the number of multiple job holders, the number of jobs worked as secondary jobs also increased, by 5.5 per cent, and passed 1 million for the first time. This highlights that some people work more than two jobs at the same time.”
The number of filled jobs also reached a record high of just under 15 million, an increase of 2.2 per cent in the June quarter. There was also a 14.3 per cent increase in vacant jobs.
“The high number of both filled jobs and vacant jobs reflects the continued strong demand for workers across the economy, coupled with widespread labour shortages,” Ms Ford said.
Hours worked increased by 2.9 per cent for the June quarter, following the fall in the March quarter associated with the initial impacts of the Omicron variant and floods in Eastern Australia.
“The increase in secondary jobs and hours worked since early in the pandemic has coincided with a large fall in the number of part-time and full-time workers who would like to work more hours, with underemployment now at historical lows,” Ms Ford said.
Vacant jobs
Job vacancies increased by 14.3 per cent to 480,000 vacant jobs, to reach a record high. This was more than double the number of vacant jobs before the start of the pandemic.
“Labour shortages reflected the continued demand for workers across Australia, with vacant jobs in the June quarter accounting for 3.1 per cent of all jobs. Over the decade before the pandemic, vacant jobs generally accounted for around 1.4 per cent of all jobs,” Ms Ford said.
Industry
Filled jobs increased in 16 of the 19 industries, with the Arts and recreation services industry seeing the largest increase (up 10.3 per cent). The largest decline was in Manufacturing, which fell 1.6 per cent.
Multiple job holding rose in all industries in the June quarter 2022. The largest increase in the number of multiple job holders was in Arts and recreation services (16.3 per cent more people) and Information media and telecommunication (up 11.8 per cent).
Arts and recreation services also had the highest multiple job holding rate, increasing by 0.4 percentage points to 8.9 per cent in the June quarter. The rate was lowest in Electricity, gas, water and waste services, at 3.5 per cent.
