Employed, but still needing more hours? A practical response to underemployment

Having a job and having enough work are not always the same thing.

For people working part-time, the gap can be practical and immediate: too few paid hours, unpredictable income, limited progression or a working arrangement that no longer fits. Yet it can be difficult to explain that need when the headline measure says you are already employed.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics’ latest Underemployed workers release gives this experience useful context. In February 2026, 822,800 part-time workers preferred and were available to work more hours. That was 18% of all part-time workers.

The figures do not predict whether any individual will find a better role. They do show that seeking more hours while employed is a substantial and legitimate career situation—and one that benefits from a deliberate plan.

What the ABS figures show

Among the 822,800 part-time workers who wanted and were available for more hours:

• 48% preferred to work full-time;
• 52% wanted more hours while remaining part-time;
• 43% had taken active steps to find additional hours; and
• 24% had worked with insufficient hours for a year or more.

The most common active steps were looking at job advertisements, contacting an employer and responding to an advertisement. Half preferred not to change occupations to gain more hours.

These details matter because underemployment is not one uniform career problem. One person may want a small increase in their current workplace. Another may need a secure full-time position. Someone else may be prepared to change employer, sector, location or occupation. A useful job-search strategy starts by defining which problem you are trying to solve.

Define the work arrangement before the job title

Before applying, decide what a workable outcome would look like. Consider:

• your minimum and preferred weekly hours;
• whether you need permanent, fixed-term or casual employment;
• the days, shifts, location and travel you can realistically accept;
• the level of income stability you need;
• whether you want to remain in your occupation; and
• whether a role needs to provide progression, development or a pathway to full-time work.

This does not mean your search has to be narrow. It gives you a way to assess opportunities consistently.

Job advertisements can be imprecise about hours and future arrangements. Look for the stated employment basis, fraction of full-time hours, roster expectations, contract period and any reference to a merit pool or future vacancies. If an important detail is missing, contact the nominated person before investing in an application.

For public-sector roles, read the position description and candidate information pack together. A vacancy may be advertised as part-time or flexible without guaranteeing a particular pattern. A merit pool may create later opportunities, but it is not an offer of employment. Keep the distinction between what is available now and what may occur later.

Present part-time work as evidence, not an apology

Working fewer hours does not reduce the value of the work you have performed. Your application should make the relevant scope and contribution easy to assess.

Focus on:

• the outcomes you delivered;
• the complexity, risk or volume you managed;
• the decisions you made and problems you resolved;
• the stakeholders, customers or communities you supported; and
• improvements you introduced or helped implement.

Avoid apologising for part-time, casual or interrupted employment. Explain the arrangement only when it is relevant, then move to the capability demonstrated.

If a shorter working week affected the scale of a result, provide enough context to make the achievement credible. For example, describe the size of the caseload, project, budget or stakeholder group rather than relying on a percentage claim without a baseline.

Candidates moving from several part-time or casual roles can also group related experience carefully. A clear career summary can connect the common capabilities without hiding dates or overstating continuity. The aim is not to make varied work look conventional. It is to help the reader understand its relevance.

Keep the application and interview story consistent

If you are looking for more hours, an employer may reasonably ask why you want to leave or change your current arrangement. Prepare an answer that is factual and forward-looking.

You might explain that you are seeking broader responsibility, a more sustainable number of hours or a role that better uses your experience. There is no need to criticise your current employer or promise flexibility you cannot maintain.

Your resume, application, interview examples and referee discussion should support the same account. Referees should understand the types of roles you are pursuing and be able to comment on your work, even if they cannot offer more hours themselves.

For APS and other government applications, keep the emphasis on merit. Show how your experience meets the role’s work-related requirements at the advertised level. Your need for additional hours may explain your motivation, but it does not replace evidence of suitability.

Use labour-market data as context, not a forecast

The ABS release describes a national group at one point in time. It does not show which employers are hiring, why a particular worker has insufficient hours or how quickly someone will secure a different arrangement. It also does not measure every form of insecure or inadequate work.

That limitation is important. National data can validate the scale of an issue and help frame decisions, but role-level research still matters most. Review current vacancies in your occupation and location. Compare the employment arrangements on offer. Test whether your evidence meets the actual requirements before deciding where to apply.

The most useful response to underemployment is usually not a higher volume of generic applications. It is a clearer target, stronger evidence and a search process that distinguishes a promising role from one that recreates the same problem.

The takeaway

More than 800,000 part-time workers wanted and were available for additional hours in February 2026. Almost half preferred full-time work, while others wanted to remain part-time with a better allocation of hours.

If that experience is familiar, start with the outcome you need. Define the working arrangement, assess each vacancy carefully and present your current experience through its contribution and results. Being underemployed is context for a career decision—not a verdict on your capability.

Data and revision note: figures are from the ABS Underemployed workers release, published 31 July 2026, using annual Participation, Job Search and Mobility survey data for February 2026. This release covers part-time workers who preferred and were available for more hours; it is not the full set of monthly underutilisation measures. The ABS lists post-release corrections to two Job mobility tables in the broader PJSM release, not to the underemployment figures used here. February 2026 was the final PJSM survey in its current form. The ABS expects the first estimates from the redesigned Labour Supplementary Survey in April 2027.