The insane new trend sweeping across Aussie workplaces to cope with the cost-of-living crisis - and it will make bosses furious

Younger Australians are increasingly doing two full-time jobs at once and working 80-hour weeks to cope with the cost-of-living crisis and unaffordable housing, new research shows. 

With unemployment still low at 4.1 per cent, those with a white-collar job are taking on another full-time job to cope with higher bills, employment site Indeed has revealed.

Younger Generation Z workers, born since 1997, were more likely to be working 80-hour weeks, with one in six doing so compared with one in seven Millennials born from 1981 to 1996.

Among those working two jobs, 93 per cent are doing their second job during the work hours of their main job, with working from home creating new possibilities.

Sally McKibbin, a career expert at Indeed, said Australia's cost-of-living crisis was forcing younger Australians to work multiple full-time jobs, especially if they wanted to afford a house. 

'As living costs and property prices continue to outpace earnings, Australian workers are responding by taking on additional paid work,' she said.

'Purchasing power has not kept up with soaring property prices. 

'For Gen Z and millennials, the journey to property ownership is proving challenging and unachievable for many without multiple income streams.'

Australia's median capital city house price of $992,473 is well beyond the reach of an average, full-time worker on $98,218.

The typical Aussie worker buying a home on their own is only able to borrow $510,700 to buy a $638,400 home with a 20 per cent mortgage deposit. 

AMP research also showed Australia having the world's second-highest debt-servicing ratios in the world after Norway, with Sydney's median house price of $1.4million costing more than 12 times an average salary even with a deposit.

Deputy chief economist Diana Mousina pointed out that 80 per cent of Australian Reserve Bank rate increases resulted in higher mortgages, simply because variable rates are much more common than fixed-rate loans.

The stress was much more severe than other nations, with only 65 per cent of official rate increases flowing through to higher monthly repayments in New Zealand, compared with Canada's 53 per cent and the UK's 32 per cent. 

'Australian consumers have generally fared worse in the past year relative to their global peers if you look at relative readings of consumer confidence, retail sales growth and per capita household disposable income growth,' Ms Mousina said.

'This reflects the faster pass-through of interest rates to outstanding mortgages.'

That means those wanting to buy a house in an outer suburb of a big city are having to work insane hours just to get on the property ladder or even pay off a home if they have a mortgage.

Unemployment rose slightly to 4.1 per cent in June but 50,200 new jobs were created, giving full-time workers more choices in taking on extra work, Australian Bureau of Statistics data released on Thursday showed.

But doing much longer hours comes at a cost with the Indeed research showing 77 per cent had suffered from mental health problems while three in four said it had affected their physical health.

Eight in 10 said it had stopped them from spending time with their family.

Ms McKibbin said bosses would be alarmed at their staff working another job on their time.

'It's concerning to see so many workers borrowing time from primary employers to manage second jobs, as this is very obviously going to have a significant effect on business performance and workplace dynamics,' she said.

Those juggling multiple jobs are almost universally turning to artificial intelligence with 94 per cent using AI for their primary job and 92 per cent for their additional jobs.

Nine in 10 credited AI with helping them be able to do more than one full-time job. 

'The use of AI to manage multiple jobs highlights how technology is reshaping the workforce,' Ms McKibbin said.

'However, the toll on workers' mental and physical health cannot be ignored. 

'Balancing two full-time jobs — regardless of technology efficiencies — is pushing many to their limits.'

Indeed's research was based on a survey of 1,000 Australians aged from 18 to 64 in April 2024.