Number of multiple job-holders in Australia also up, report finds
Filled jobs across Australia increased by 107,600 jobs in the September quarter as multiple job-holders across the country also went up, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Its latest employment statistics showed a 0.7% increase in filled jobs to reach 16.1 million in the September quarter, with both main and secondary jobs increasing.
"Annual growth in filled jobs to September 2025 was 1.2%, the slowest annual growth recorded since March quarter 2021," said Sean Crick, ABS head of labour statistics.
Secondary jobs rebound
Main jobs went up by 0.5%, equivalent to 67,300 jobs, according to the ABS. Secondary jobs also increased by 3.8%, or 40,300 jobs, after two consecutive quarterly drops.
"Despite the rise this quarter, secondary jobs are 0.7% lower compared to the same period last year, recording the third through the year fall in a row," Crick said.
Fourteen out of 19 industries logged quarterly increases in secondary jobs, with the following industries contributing the seeing the biggest gains:
- Education and training (up 9,300 jobs)
- Accommodation and food services (up 7,400 jobs)
- Health care and social assistance (up 6,000 jobs)
Multiple job-holders increase
The rise in filled jobs comes as the number of multiple job-holders remained at elevated levels in the September quarter.
There were 973,000 multiple job-holders in September 2025, equivalent to 6.5% of all employed people.
"Between 1994 and 2019, the multiple job-holding rate remained between 5.0% and 6.0%," the ABS data revealed.
"However, following a large decline in June 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the multiple job-holding rate rose and has remained at an all-time high between 6.4% and 6.7% since June 2022."
Women were more likely (7.6%) to juggle multiple jobs, compared to men (5.6%), according to ABS data. By age, employed people between 20 and 24 years were also more likely to be multiple job-holders.
People working in the Administrative and support services industry in their main job also recorded the highest multiple job-holding rate across Australia, with 8.9%. This is followed by:
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing (8.7%)
- Arts and recreation services (8.5%)
- Accommodation and food services (7.5%)
- Health care and social assistance (7.5%)
- Education and training (7.2%)
Financial woes among Australians
The rise in multiple job-holders across Australia comes as employees face financial challenges.
A previous report from ADP Research showed that more than half of Australians with more than two jobs are doing do so to cover necessary expenses. Other reasons include:
- Building savings or retirement
- Building job experience
- Funding education or training
- Sending money to others
Judy Barnett, Operations Director at ADP Australia, previously called for the introduction of practical benefits to cushion the impact of cost-of-living pressures on Australians.
"Flexible work arrangements, subsidised transport, wellness programmes or financial planning support can go a long way in easing day-to-day pressures," Barnett said.
"These practical benefits help build trust, reduce turnover, and create more resilient workplaces at a time when employee wellbeing has never been more critical."
