Multiple job-holding falls in the June quarter, from record high
The number of people working multiple jobs fell by 1.2 per cent to 961,000 in the June quarter 2024, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Kate Lamb, ABS head of labour statistics, said: “The drop in the number of people working multiple jobs coincided with a 2.9 per cent decline in secondary jobs in the labour market in the June quarter. This was the largest fall in secondary jobs since September quarter 2021, when public health measures were introduced in response to the COVID-19 Delta variant.”
“However, the recent fall in secondary jobs follows a period of strong growth during tight labour market conditions, particularly in 2022-23. Despite the June quarter drop, the number of secondary jobs was still 25 per cent higher than September quarter 2021. That secondary jobs growth was almost double that of main jobs, which increased 13 per cent over the same period.”
Filled jobs rose by 0.4 per cent this quarter, with a 0.6 per cent rise in main jobs offsetting the 2.9 per cent fall in secondary jobs. Annual growth in filled jobs remained at 2.4 per cent, which was consistent with the March quarter but down from 3.6 per cent growth a year ago.
“Hours worked grew for a second consecutive quarter, up 1.1 per cent, following a 0.3 per cent increase in the March quarter. Recent Labour Force Survey data shows full-time employment growth of 2.2 per cent compared to 1.1 per cent for part-time employment over the first half of 2024.”
“Annual growth in hours worked to June quarter 2024 was 0.5 per cent, following strong hours worked growth of 6.6 per cent over the previous year to June quarter 2023,” Ms Lamb said.
Job vacancies continued to fall, down 3.5 per cent in the June quarter. The proportion of vacant jobs fell to its lowest rate in more than three years (2.2 per cent).
“The labour market remains tight with employment growth generally keeping pace with strong population growth, up 0.8 per cent this quarter. However, a number of labour market measures moderated during 2023-24, suggesting conditions have softened compared to 2022-23, which was particularly tight,” Ms Lamb said.
Multiple job-holding rate drops to 6.5 per cent
The multiple job-holding rate fell to 6.5 per cent in the June quarter 2024 after record highs between 6.6 and 6.7 per cent over the previous six quarters.
The fall in the multiple job-holding rate reflected a 12,000 drop in the number of multiple job-holders, while employment continued to rise, increasing by 117,000 people over the quarter.
“This is the lowest multiple job-holding rate we’ve seen since the September quarter 2022. However, 6.5 per cent remains high compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, when the rate of multiple job-holding was usually between 5.0 and 6.0 per cent,” Ms Lamb said.
The drop in multiple job-holding for the June quarter 2024 was more pronounced for men falling from 6.0 per cent in the March quarter down to 5.7 per cent.
Secondary jobs down in industries with main jobs growth
Main jobs grew in 10 out of 19 industries, with Administrative and support services (44,900 jobs) and Retail trade (41,400 jobs) showing the largest growth. The Arts and recreation services showed the biggest fall (-25,500 jobs) in main jobs as households continued to reduce discretionary spending on services.
Fifteen out of 19 industries saw drops in secondary jobs.
“Education and training was the largest contributor to the drop in secondary jobs this quarter, down 13,500 jobs. Falls were seen across tertiary, adult, community, and other education,” Ms Lamb said.
The 5 industries with the largest number of secondary jobs are shown, with all other industries grouped in remaining industries.
Despite fewer secondary jobs, the growth in total hours worked saw average hours worked per employed person increase slightly, up 0.3 per cent in the June quarter.
“As seen in the Multiple job-holders release, the occupations most affected by the fall in secondary jobs were Machinery operators and drivers, down 14.7 per cent, Sales workers, down 7.2 per cent, and Managers, down 6.2 per cent,” Ms Lamb said.
Media notes
- The Australian Labour Account complements other ABS measures to build a more comprehensive picture of the labour market. Labour Account provides the number of filled jobs at a point-in-time each quarter, while the annual Jobs in Australia provides insights into all jobs held throughout the year, and Labour Force Survey measures the number of people employed each month.
- The ABS has reinstated Labour Account trend estimates for all four quadrants of data and reverted to concurrent seasonal adjustment across all series. For more information, see the Seasonal adjustment and trend estimates section of the Labour Account, Australia, June quarter 2024 release.
- Additional insights on multiple job-holders can be found in the multi-source Multiple job-holders release, which is published on the same day as the quarterly Labour Account. The release combines data from a number of complementary labour sources to offer valuable additional detail into characteristics of multiple job-holders.
- Data contained in this media release refer to seasonally adjusted estimates, unless otherwise stated.
- To learn more about our different labour measures, their purpose and how to use them, see our Guide to labour statistics. It provides summary information on labour market topics including Industry employment data.
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