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Workers turn to 'poly-employment' trend to fight cost-of-living crisis

Employers are being urged to be flexible to allow Aussies to explore this new workplace behaviour.

Stewart Perrie
·Senior Journalist
·4-min read
Two women talking about their jobs
Plenty of Aussies are taking up multiple jobs to make ends meet. (Source: TikTok)

To beat the crunch of the cost-of-living crisis, many shift workers across Australia are taking on multiple jobs to get by. The term is called 'poly-employment' and it's allowing many to keep their heads above water during these tough times.

Shift-tracking company Deputy found 22 per cent of shift workers in Australia were holding down at least two part-time jobs, with the overwhelming majority (68 per cent) choosing the same industry to gain additional employment. Emma Seymour, CFO of Deputy, told Yahoo Finance poly-employment can be empowering when you get the right balance.

"We've seen that employees have more predictability in terms of their earnings and that they have more control over managing their earning capability, with supplementing their existing roles with other roles," she said.

The data found that the percentage of shift workers who are able to cover expenses while also saving grew from 25 per cent to 35 per cent between 2023 and 2024, thanks to this new trend.

What was interesting in the research was that poly-employment can actually benefit employers as well.

While some managers might fear a staff member working at another location could cause them to leave in search of greener pastures, poly-employment was found to strengthen worker retention.

Do you have a story? Email stew.perrie@yahooinc.com

"We've seen for employers, this is often a positive thing too, because if they don't have the shifts to actually satisfy one employee and give them enough work, they're actually able to retain them by letting them have other options and being flexible rather than losing one employee that has to go and find full-time work or find more coverage elsewhere," Seymour said.

"Being flexible and adaptable actually means that they can retain their workforce to the limit that they need it."

The Australian Bureau of Statistics found there were 961,400 multiple job-holders as of June this year, which has been steadily increasing year-on-year.

It comes as the unemployment rate remains at 4.2 per cent, according to data released in August.

Social media is filled with workers talking about working multiple jobs in Australia, with many taking on part-time roles in cafes, bars, restaurants, clothing stores and other retail outlets to make ends meet.

One woman said she was maintaining three different shift-work jobs and said it had been a game-changer for her income stability.

But she also warned that it can be stressful trying to juggle all the shifts and make time for loved ones and downtime.

Another poly-employed worker, who had a job at Betty's Burgers and was also a music tutor, said it was a fantastic way of earning money.

Seymour said employers need to be flexible if they want to open themselves up to this trend.

"This feeling of financial stability and how that continues to rise, allowing for flexible hours and shifts based on shift worker needs is particularly important to support this trend," she told Yahoo Finance.

"I'd also encourage managers just to have frequent check-ins with their staff and [provide] regular training and upskilling."

Having multiple jobs has helped many across Australia attract bigger incomes and set themselves up for later in life.

Those who have achieved this through several full-time jobs said artificial intelligence (AI) has been their biggest friend.

"The use of AI to manage multiple jobs highlights how technology is reshaping the workforce," Sally McKibbin, a career expert at Indeed, said.

But AI in the poly-employment arena could have a negative impact on peoples' ability to score additional jobs for particular industries.

Deputy's study found 66 per cent of the poly-employed were concerned about how AI could completely change their jobs.

"It does vary from one sector to another. I think in hospitality and in retail, you're probably seeing more of that concern surface around, 'How can their jobs be automated?'," Seymour explained.

"But then if you look at the manufacturing sector, there's more enthusiasm because the belief is more strongly correlated to AI is going to help them with their day-to-day tasks and make things easier, so there's less of a threatening feeling."

Despite their strong familiarity with technology, Gen Z was the most concerned generation regarding AI and job automation.

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