Food services employees holds fourth highest rate of multiple job-holders

Job vacancies remain higher than before the pandemic.

Workers in the food services and accommodation industry are the fourth amongst the top with multiple jobs, a report by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said.

According to the report, the number of people holding multiple jobs in all industries rose to 959,000 in the June quarter of 2023, an increase of 7% over the past year.

Employees in administrative and support services hold the highest multiple job-holding rate at 9.4%. It is followed by Agriculture, forestry and fishing (9.3%), Arts and recreation services (8.8%), and food services and accommodation (7.8%).

Female workers who have their main job in foodservices usually have a second job in the same industry whilst some would either take second jobs in Retail trade or Administrative support services.

Male workers in the Accommodation and food services would choose Administrative and support services in their second job.

Overall, younger workers were also more likely to hold multiple jobs, including 8% of 15 to 19-year-olds and 8.2% of 20 to 24-year-olds. Many of the industries with higher rates of multiple job-holding are also where younger workers more commonly work.

Job vacancies

Despite the recent increase in filled jobs, which rose by 0.8% over the quarter, job vacancies remained much higher than before the pandemic. They fell by 3.% in the June quarter of 2023, the third straight fall, but remained 87.4% above the March quarter of 2020.

Around 2.7% of total jobs were vacant in the June quarter, which was down from the record high of 3.2% in the September quarter of 2022, but still well above the 1.6% in the March quarter of 2020.

Job vacancies declined in nine of the 19 industries, with the largest drop seen in Retail trade, down 5,600 vacancies. These falls were partially offset by increases in the remaining 10 industries, with the largest increase in job vacancies seen in Education and training, up 2,300 vacancies.