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Makeup is Alia Mohamed's passion — but it's also become her lifeline.
Key points:
- Almost one million Australians have more than one job
- For some people this has uncovered a hidden passion
- But some experts are worried about the risk of burn out
Unable to get by on the salary she earns as a support worker, she's created a side hustle to bring in more cash.
And she's not alone.
She is one of almost one million Australians to have multiple jobs, more than ever before.
Ms Mohamed has started a custom makeup business from her studio, a space she converted from a home garage.
The ABC met her on the day she was working on customer Talisha Fernandes.
"Today, I'm thinking of doing something starry. I think that's the vibe I'm going to go for," she said.
Ms Fernandes is enthusiastic.
"I like it," she replies.
Casual work precarious
The high cost of living and casualised labour are forcing people into a second or even third job to make ends meet.
Some have found that not only is their side job financially essential, it's become their passion — something they would like to turn into their full-time job.
Ms Mohamed's main job has been as a disability support worker, averaging about four shifts a week as a casual employee.
On its own, it's not enough, and so she works evenings and weekends doing makeup for women in her community.
The 24-year-old arrived in Australia with her family from Sudan when she was five years old.
She said she started makeup after her Year 12 ball when she felt the makeup artist couldn't match her complexion.
It's since become her driving force.
"This is what I love so much," she said.
"It's really contributed a lot to my life, so I've become really passionate about it."
Now she would struggle without the extra income it brings.
When her car was damaged in an accident, she could not travel to her disability support client's home and her hours in that job were cut.
"I didn't realise how unstable and insecure you are with a job like that," she said.
"I just realised how vulnerable I was because I wasn't able to work and if I didn't have my makeup job, I'd have nothing."
And with the overall cost of living continuing to rise, Ms Mohamed says she would struggle without the extra income stream from her makeup business.
"I can't even imagine. I wouldn't be able to survive," she said.
It's created extra pressure to push her business forward and cover the salary she's losing after losing hours from her support worker job.
"So I can make that [makeup] my main job," she said.
"Because that way ... I'm the one who's in control."
Side gigs on the rise
A total of 6.6 per cent of the Australian population, or 925,000 people, had multiple jobs according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as part of the labour account data for the December 2022 quarter.
That's an increase of 68,000 people over the year and the highest number recorded by the ABS.
The highest number of secondary jobs recorded by the ABS were in administrative and support services, education and training, and health care and social assistance.
The increase was also reflected in demands on welfare groups and community organisations helping those struggling to keep their heads above water due to insecure work and higher prices.
"We're hearing that more and more through our food and emergency relief providers," Western Australian Council of Social Service chief executive Louise Giolitto said.
"People are going to extreme measures and taking second and third jobs because their wages aren't enough.
"That puts their health at risk, their mental health at risk, less time with their families."
Some welfare groups, such as the Salvation Army, post advice on second jobs, reassuring people there is no tax penalty for having two jobs for low or middle income earners.
One of the big four banks also posts information on second jobs, potentially for customers who are having difficulty with their mortgage repayments.
It includes a list of the top 10 side hustle jobs to consider, including video editing, dog sitting, selling crafts, putting your handyman skills to good use, and helping people organise and clean their homes for a fee.
Pilots trade planes for another sweet ride
And then there is the completely unexpected.
For two pilots grounded during the COVID-19 pandemic, the road led to chocolate.
"At its purest form, chocolate is just these cocoa nibs, mixed with sugar," Brett Holmes said as he mixed the two ingredients together.
He and his friend Brad Laver thought of the one thing everyone likes.
"Like all good ideas, you kind of come up with it over a beer or two," he said.
"We both had a lot of free time to fill in. We figured as a side job needs to have a bit of fun to it. So we thought chocolates. Everyone likes chocolate.
"People like to eat chocolate, talk about chocolate. We thought we'd give it a go.
"We just watched some YouTube videos and gave it a go made some terrible chocolate, tried again, made some great chocolate."
Now the pair sell their chocolate to local cafes and shops as a side business when they are not flying passengers around the country or the world.
In what can be an unstable industry, perhaps surprisingly they're not the only pilots to have a side job.
"The GFC was terrible, 9/11 was terrible for pilots. So a lot of guys do have side jobs as a bit of an insurance policy," Mr Holmes said.
"There's a friend of a friend, he's a wedding celebrant because his theory was people are always getting married, so if piloting has a downturn he can do that on the side."
While their chocolate business has taken off, it's not earning enough to replace their main gig and so, for now, they are just enjoying the sweet ride.