One Paycheck Isn’t Enough: 1 Million Australians Now Work Two Jobs
Synopsis
Australia recorded 1.05 million multiple job holders in June 2026, while secondary jobs rose 4.6%. Health care, administrative services and education recorded the largest secondary-job numbers.
Australia's multiple job holders jumped to 1,049,100 in the June 2026 quarter, up 64,900 (6.6%) from the previous quarter according to the latest Labour Account Australia, June 2026 released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on September 4.
The figure reflects 6.9% of employed Australians, the highest multiple job-holding rate since the ABS series began in September 1994. It was also 11.0% higher than in June 2025.
Secondary Jobs Rise Sharply
The number of multiple job holders in Australia jumped, accompanied by a much bigger rise in secondary employment. Secondary jobs rose 4.6% in the quarter and 11.7% in the year to 1,163,900.
This compares to a rise of 0.4% for main jobs to 15,159,100. Total jobs rose 0.6% to 16,656,500, against an increase of 0.7% in filled jobs to 16,323,000.
There were still 333,500 jobs unfilled in the June quarter, of which 2.6% had become available since March. Unfilled jobs (2.0%) were the smallest of the three job categories.
Hours worked grew by 0.4% to 6.13 billion and average income per employed person went up 0.9% to $26,084.40 in the quarter.
Health Care Leads Secondary Employment
In terms of industries, health care and social assistance had the most secondary jobs with 207,100. The other two big groups were administrative and support services with 158,500 and education and training with 131,500.
Accommodation and food services had 126,000 secondary jobs followed by retail trade with 110,900. Construction had 39,000 secondary jobs.
Private sector filled jobs rose 0.8% during the quarter. There were 24,400 filled jobs in health care and social assistance and 13,700 in construction.
Overall, the labour market is still active, though not as much as it has been in the past.
Labour force data for the month also showed high employment levels, as Australia's multiple job holding population hit another record. The ABS said 16,000 fewer people were employed in July 2026, increasing unemployment to 4.5%.
People having more than one occupation are separately measured in the June Labour Account. Its figures include employment, people, hours worked and income in the Australian labour market.
Source: Capital Brief
Pooja Malik is a business journalist with over six years of experience covering startups, entrepreneurship, and emerging trends. She has previously worked with leading media platforms such as YourStory Media and BW BusinessWorld, where she reported on business, policy, and market developments. Currently, she serves as Editor at The Inspirepreneur Magazine, where she writes and edits stories across business, lifestyle, and travel, with a focus on clarity, accuracy, and reader relevance.
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