Jack is 72 and cannot afford to retire. He’s not alone

As the rising cost of living forces more Australians to seek extra income by taking on a second or even third job, we meet some of those finding creative ways to make ends meet.

Pensioner Jack Moon Credit: SBS / Edgard Ferreira

Pensioner Jack Moon is applying a second coat of paint to the ceiling of an apartment in Liverpool, in Sydney’s west. As he does most mornings, Jack was up at dawn to start work at 7 am.

“I ll have to work until I drop or my knees give out,” he says.

Paying bills on a fixed income is his main challenge.

“I have nine children and five of them until recently were living at home. So, my electricity bills were about $500 quarter, which is over and above.”

Jack Moon painting an apartment in Sydney Credit: SBS / Edgard Ferreira

Power is not the only bill that Mr Moon is struggling to pay. With the cost of living rising by 6.1 per cent last financial year, he says work-related expenses are another concern.

“Fuel prices are one thing. We also have massive bills with the tolls.”

Mr Moon his other worries too. He has been diagnosed with anxiety and arthritis, which requires ongoing healthcare.

“Financially it is very difficult for me to stay calm, because I need money for doctors. My psychiatrist costs $400 for a session, and I can’t afford it.”

While times are tough for Mr Moon and his family, he knows of others who are worse off.

“I saw a man online competing with us for a quote and he'd written ‘I'll do it for nothing, just food only’. We were shocked.”

He is among many Australians including a growing number of retirees working through Airtasker, an online marketplace that outsources household tasks.

Airtasker says it has between 25,000 and 30,000 active taskers on the platform each month, and that number has risen steadily this year.

Airtasker CEO Tim Fung. Source: SBS / SBS News

“We are seeing increases across the board as demand for services continues to grow,” says CEO and Founder Tim Fung.

“In the last financial year we had almost $190 million worth of jobs going through the Airtasker platform and that was up by 38 per cent in the fourth quarter."

Mr Fung says popular categories include cleaning, gardening, and home repairs as well as office administration and marketing.

The federal government has agreed to allow pensioners to increase their earnings through a one-off measure.

Pensioners will be able to earn an additional $4,000 this financial year without affecting their fortnightly pension payment.

While welcoming the move, National Seniors Australia says more can be done to support older Australians.

“What we would like to see is the income test removed, so that people can work and pay income tax,” says National Advocate Ian Henschke.

National Seniors Australia advocate Ian Henschke Credit: Supplied Natioinal Seniors Australia

"The system we propose is the New Zealand model which is a much freer system, where 25 per cent of over 65s work, whereas in Australia it is only 14 per cent, and of that only three per cent are pensioners."

However, it is not just older Australians who are turning to a side hustles to make ends meet.

The Bureau of Statistics reports that around 900-thousand Australians are working two or more jobs this year.

Many specialised online platforms are expanding to market a growing range of online services.

Mother of four Lilita Rafidi hires out clothing online through The Volte Designer Dress Hire. She says she can earn $5,000 on a good week.

Lilita Rafidi rents clothing online Credit: SBS / Sandra Fulloon Credit: SBS / Sandra Fulloon

“I've got about 300 dresses that I hire out to people,” she says.

“This worked out really well for me, because not only was I able to wear the dresses that I wanted to wear, but I was able to make some money on them as well."

Ms Rafidi has opened her own eyebrow bar with the earnings from clothing hire, and says bookings for her designer dresses are picking up as the weather warms.

“No one really wants to wear the same outfit anymore, which is why clothing hire has really boomed. People hire an outfit, they wear it once they send it back, they don't even have to wash it."

She says one designer dress has earned almost $15,000 dollars so far.

“It is a very popular dress, I’ve hired it 120 times,” she says.

Moonshiner's Andy Leonard Credit: SBS / Sandra Fulloon

Andy Leonard is a Sydney-based actor whose earnings were impacted during COVID. During the down time he poured his creative energy into a new venture - making gin with native botanicals.

“This year we've been growing the business, so we've been going out to more markets and we are in some local pubs,” the Moonshiner co-founder says.

“There are five of us, we all have other jobs, but we plan to keep this going on the side because it's fun."

Sophie Lewis, who works in home care, is grateful to earn an extra $100 per month for renting part of an unused garage through digital platform Spacer.

Mike Rosenbaum, CEO of Spacer and the national parking marketplace Parkhound, says demand is strong for car park locations near train stations, amenities like hospitals and universities.

“We have more than 250,000 members right across Australia and 50,000 spots available to be leased," he says.

Parkhound hosts can earn up to $450 a month by renting out unused car spots.

Jack Moon at work in Sydney Credit: SBS / Edgard Ferreira

However, pensioner Jack Moon doubts he will ever be able to hang up his paintbrush, with no relief in sight from rising prices. And he knows many families who are struggling.

“Overcrowding is common because people are taking in tenants when they don't really want tenants.

“People are also cutting back on fresh food.

“It‘s pathetic the way the situation is,” he says.