Despite employment reaching a record high in 2024, half of Australian workers (50%) are living paycheck to paycheck, according to ADP Research\u2019s People at\u00a0Work 2025 report. The study, which surveyed nearly 38,000 workers across 34 markets, uncovers stark\u00a0regional disparities and generational divides in the global workforce\u2019s financial resilience.<\/p>\n
The findings reveal a complex financial picture, both locally and internationally: taking on extra work\u00a0doesn\u2019t necessarily close the pay gap, as nearly six in 10 (57%) workers surveyed globally are still\u00a0struggling to make ends meet, even working multiple jobs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In Australia, over half (52%) of workers with two jobs and nearly six in 10 (58%) of those with three or\u00a0more jobs report holding multiple roles to cover necessary expenses.<\/p>\n
Key Findings:<\/p>\n
Global strain: Globally, more than half (54%) of single-job holders, 59% of workers with two\u00a0jobs, and 61% of workers with three or more jobs are struggling to make ends meet.<\/p>\n
Working multiple jobs to make ends meet: A significant portion of Australians are turning to\u00a0multiple jobs to cope with financial demands.
Two jobs: 58% say they do it to afford extra costs, and 35% to build life savings and\u00a0prepare for retirement.
Three or more jobs: 58% do it to build savings and prepare for retirement, and 46%\u00a0to cover extra costs.<\/p>\n
Regional Comparison: The country with the highest percentage of workers living paycheck to\u00a0paycheck is Egypt (84%), followed by Saudi Arabia (79%) and the Philippines (78%). In contrast,\u00a0South Korea reports the lowest proportion globally, at just 18%. Within the Asia-Pacific region,\u00a0Australia ranks as the fourth lowest in terms of the share of employees living paycheck to\u00a0paycheck, with 50% of workers facing this financial pressure. Only Japan (29%), Taiwan (30%),\u00a0and China (31%) report lower proportions.<\/p>\n
Why workers take multiple jobs<\/p>\n
The survey reveals that most workers holding multiple jobs are doing it to cover their necessary\u00a0expenses, to save for future spending, and to build savings for retirement. The number of workers\u00a0working more than one job is the highest in the Middle East Africa (34%), Latin America (24%), and\u00a0Asia Pacific (24%).<\/p>\n
While people have different reasons for taking on extra work, holding two or more jobs can be a\u00a0necessity in parts of the world where average wages are low relative to a country\u2019s cost of living.\u00a0Informal economies in Africa, Latin America and parts of Asia exacerbate challenges, with workers\u00a0who piece together gig or part-time roles lacking stability or protection.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Navigating the high cost of living<\/p>\n
\u201cPay is the foundation of financial wellbeing for most workers, yet our data shows that even record\u00a0employment isn’t translating into financial security. Nearly two-thirds of people who hold three jobs still\u00a0struggle to make ends meet. This presents an opportunity for employers to take a more holistic\u00a0approach to compensation to help workers navigate the higher living costs of today\u2019s global economy,\u201d\u00a0ADP chief economist Nela Richardson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the rising cost of living putting pressure on Australian households, many workers are finding it\u00a0increasingly difficult to stretch their paychecks, even when holding down multiple jobs. For small and\u00a0medium-sized businesses, offering across-the-board pay rises may not be realistic \u2014 but there are\u00a0other meaningful ways to support employees,\u201d\u00a0Judy Barnett, Operations Director at ADP Australia\u00a0said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFlexible work arrangements, subsidised transport, wellness programs, or financial planning support\u00a0can go a long way in easing day-to-day pressures. These practical benefits help build trust, reduce\u00a0turnover, and create more resilient workplaces at a time when employee wellbeing has never been\u00a0more critical,\u201d\u00a0added Barnett.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Despite employment reaching a record high in 2024, half of Australian workers (50%) are living paycheck to paycheck, according to ADP Research\u2019s People at\u00a0Work 2025 report. The study, which surveyed nearly 38,000 workers across 34 markets, uncovers stark\u00a0regional disparities and generational divides in the global workforce\u2019s financial resilience. The findings reveal a complex financial picture, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20468,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-australia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/asiajournaux.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/asiajournaux.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/asiajournaux.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiajournaux.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiajournaux.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20466"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/asiajournaux.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20466\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20467,"href":"https:\/\/asiajournaux.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20466\/revisions\/20467"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiajournaux.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/20468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/asiajournaux.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiajournaux.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiajournaux.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}