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\n Mat Beeche\n Global Strategic Communications Director, Deputy\n \n
\nSydney, Australia - 31 March 2026 - Australia’s workforce is becoming increasingly poly-employed, with multiple job holding reaching a decade high and Gen Z now accounting for 72% of all poly-employed shift workers.
But rather than creating distinct worker groups, Deputy’s latest Big Shift Report reveals a more important and urgent divide: the same poly-employed workers are both the most optimistic and the most resistant to AI, depending entirely on the conditions of their work.
Drawing on 60,446,758 shifts and 188,010,610 hours worked by 682,430 shift workers across hospitality, retail, healthcare, and services, the report shows that AI sentiment is not determined by whether someone is full-time, part-time, or has a side hustle. It is shaped by whether their work provides predictability, financial security, and a sense of control.
When those conditions exist, poly-employed workers embrace AI. When they do not, the same workers push back against it.
Deputy’s data identifies two outcomes within the same poly-employed population:
Crucially, these are not different types of workers. They are the same poly-employed individuals, experiencing different workplace conditions.
“Poly-employment is not the issue. It is the conditions surrounding it,” said Ciaran Hale, CTO of Deputy. “When workers have predictable schedules, clear communication, and control over their time, they see AI as a tool. Without that, it becomes a source of stress.”
“This is not a story about part-time versus full-time. It is about whether workplaces are designed to support people who are already managing multiple jobs. The same worker can be pro-AI or anti-AI depending on that experience.”
Retail is at the forefront of Australia’s move toward labour-replacing AI. More than half of Australian retailers (52.1%) now use AI tools like POS systems and upselling optimisation, outpacing the United States, where adoption sits at 46.2%.
This trend is fueled by the concentrated nature of the Australian market, where four companies control around 90% of supermarket share, and just two hold nearly 70%. With less competitive pressure to invest in productivity-boosting technology for staff, retailers are increasingly turning to labour-saving solutions. Self-service kiosks, for example, are now used in 33.8% of Australian stores, compared with 28.4% in the US.
Healthcare has one of the highest rates of poly-employment at 7.5% and continues to grow in headcount. However, falling termination rates are masking deeper workforce strain.
Deputy’s data shows many workers are staying in roles due to a lack of available replacements rather than improved conditions. At the same time, Australia is lagging in administrative AI adoption, with 44.4% of providers using tools such as voice-to-text and workflow automation, compared to 58.1% in the US.
This gap is increasing pressure on already stretched workers, many of whom are managing multiple roles across employers.
Hospitality, also at a 7.5% poly-employment rate, is seeing strong growth in evening and night-time shifts. Brisbane recorded the most sustained increase in evening activity, while Perth experienced a late-stage acceleration.
Despite this growth, hiring demand has softened. Businesses are focusing on retaining existing staff and using AI to optimise rostering rather than expanding headcount.
“The industries under the most pressure are also where better use of AI can have the biggest impact,” said Hale. “But the foundation has to be right. AI cannot fix unpredictability on its own. It has to work alongside fair scheduling, transparency, and empowerment of workers.”
The findings point to a critical shift in how AI adoption should be understood in Australia’s frontline workforce. The divide is not between different types of workers. It is between different types of workplaces.
For Australia’s growing population of poly-employed shift workers, AI is not inherently positive or negative. It reflects the systems into which it is introduced.
Workplaces that prioritise predictability, transparency, and flexibility are creating AI-advantaged workers who use technology to thrive. Those who do not are creating AI resistance within the same workforce.
Click to download this year's report.
\n \n \nThe Big Shift Report 2026 was produced by the leading scheduling software platform, Deputy, utilising aggregated Deputy customer data. The report features an industry-focused data analysis of Australian shift workers across the hospitality, retail, healthcare and services industry sectors. Chief Economist at Geografia, Dr Shashi Karunanethy, analysed 60,446,758 shifts and 188,010,610 hours of 682,430 shift workers to produce the insights in this report.
Deputy is the intuitive, people platform built specifically for shift work. Trusted by over 1.5 million shift workers and 380,000 workplaces in more than 100 countries, Deputy empowers managers to plan, adapt, and grow their businesses effectively, while giving teams greater control over their time and schedules.
With AI-powered tools for effortless hiring, onboarding, forecasting, time tracking, compliance, and mobile-first communication, Deputy keeps every shift running smoothly, all in one platform. Discover how we’re improving the world of work, one shift at a time, at www.deputy.com and follow us on LinkedIn for the latest updates and insights.