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Are you a slashie worker?
Once upon a time, a job was for life. But not anymore.
Enter the Slashie worker. A concept that started in the entertainment industry (actors-slash/model) has now gone mainstream with a considerable chunk of Aussie workers now holding down several jobs at once – start-up CEO/ Uber driver/DJ.
The Slashie has also been aided and abetted by ‘gig’ economy – jobs offered by Uber, Deliveroo and AirTasker which workers – even well paid full-timers – are using to supplement incomes especially in super expensive cities like Melbourne and Sydney.
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Hospitality, retail and tradies and workers in the gig economy including Uber, Deliveroo are the most common ‘slashies’, research from Australian jobs platform JobGetter also shows.
The so-called ‘casualisation’ of the workforce, and the ongoing rise in the number of part-time jobs at the expense of full-time positions will create a large subset in the job seeking market who will become Slashies, according to Alli Baker, Director of JobGetter.
More Aussie job seekers than ever before are looking for second and third jobs, the survey also indicated.
Although such ‘gigs’ are good for workers who need flexibility and more cash, there has also been a spike in underemployment, which according to official statistics stands at 8% in Australia.
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However, this figure may be much higher. 30% of respondents to the JobGetter survey indicated they were seeking more hours than [they] currently are getting.
Over the last eight years, part-time jobs have swelled to three times the rate of full time jobs rate as employers cut back full time hours.
There are also concerns about the lack of social security and employment rights proffered by gigs like Uber, which are light on regulation and often don’t directly employ their staff.
Despite the rise of the Slashie and the gig economy, most workers still have a preference for securing full-time work, says Baker, citing results of the Job Seeker Survey where workers were asked for their work type preference.
The number one reason is for financial security. “People say that their biggest concerns in the future are buying houses and supporting families.”
