Bruno Cabral was a lawyer in Brazil before he moved to Australia in search of a fresh start. But when he arrived in Tasmania three years ago, finding a full-time job proved difficult. "It was really hard, because I arrived in here in June … and Tasmania is really seasonal, you know, and there weren't many job vacancies available," Mr Cabral said. Faced with a tough job market in Hobart, and a desperate need to pay the bills, he turned to an online job marketplace that outsources small jobs. Mr Cabral picked up some home removalist jobs on the platform, which he said "was the easiest and the quickest way to make some money". "When I started, I just realised that it wasn't that hard to be honest, and I was good at it, so I just decided to stay doing it," he said. He has since used the experience to help him land a permanent job in the industry. But that hasn't stopped him from side hustling. "Being a removalist, we're not really sure about our schedule, so sometimes when I know that I'm gonna finish earlier, I just open [Airtasker] up and I look for something else to do," he said. Airtasker is an Australian company that allows people to outsource everyday tasks. Mr Cabral estimates that he makes about an extra $300 a week by picking up the few odd jobs. A tough job market The latest statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show that Tasmania is leading the nation when it comes to working multiple jobs. In December last year, the ABS found 8 per cent of employed Tasmanians, or 1 in 12, held two or more jobs, a number that was slightly higher in its capital, Hobart, at 8.5 per cent. Meanwhile, the national average is 6.7 per cent. University of Tasmania economics lecturer Paul Blacklow said two main factors drove people to hold multiple jobs: their primary job not being full-time hours or it having a low wage. This is particularly true in Tasmania, where wages are lower compared with the mainland. The most recent figures from the ABS show Tasmanians have the lowest average weekly earnings for full-time workers in the country. Source: ABS "And so for that reason, Tasmanians may well be taking on additional jobs, more so than their counterparts in the other states," Dr Blacklow said. Data from the ABS shows the number of multiple job holders across Australia is at an all-time high. Between 1995 and 2019, the multiple job-holding rate fluctuated between 5 per cent and 6 per cent. But after the COVID pandemic restrictions began to ease, the multiple job-holding rate rose and has remained at a historical peak of between 6.5 per cent and 6.7 per cent since December 2022. Dr Blacklow said this recent increase is likely attributable to "the cost-of-living crisis, and also because nominal wages haven't been growing that much". "We've noticed throughout history that other times when Australians have increased the amount of the incidence of holding multiple jobs, it's typically been when the economy has not been too well, or that inflation is high, or the wage growth is low," he said. Younger generations more likely to work multiple jobs ABS statistics show that workers aged 20–24 years old are the most likely to be working multiple jobs. This rings true for full-time university student Aya Gibson, who also holds three jobs. The 21-year-old's packed schedule sees her work at least three nights a week as a waitress, serve customers at a market stall at least once a fortnight, and coach a soccer team for a couple hours each week. She works up to 30 hours a week on average across all three jobs, as well as studying a double degree in marine biology and Antarctic sciences, which takes up about 38 hours a week. Ms Gibson lives at home, which she says makes her daily expenses "probably lower than your average uni student", but that she is conscious of the current economic climate as "things are getting increasingly more expensive". "And so who knows what it's going to look like when I'm coming around to that kind of time in my life. "I may as well work and put towards savings and that kind of thing, and some life things that are good to save for."