Full-time student, part-time job juggler. When it comes to balancing study and work, tertiary students are quickly becoming experts as they work multiple jobs to get by.
Student Job Search data shows short-term, casual, and seasonal roles now dominate, requiring many students to juggle multiple jobs rather than rely on a single, stable part-time role.
The student job market has stabilised, but in a markedly different form. One student, who prefers not to be named, is studying Screen Arts at Unitec in Auckland while working multiple jobs. She says she applied for 30 to 40 jobs before securing one and now works two part-time communications and marketing jobs to make up the income she requires.
“My parents live overseas, so I have to flat and pay for everything myself,” she says. “Even with a student loan, it doesn’t cover all the costs. I have to work to top-up my income. You do have to manage your time well, especially when you get into crunch time with study but still need to work.”
Forty-nine percent of all jobs listed on Student Job Search in Quarter 2 of the 2025/26 financial year were casual roles, while permanent full-time roles made up just 2.5%, well below historic norms. Student Job Search Chief Executive Louise Saviker says the shift towards short-term, casual work mirrors national underutilisation and vacancy trends, with employers remaining cautious amid constrained business confidence and a broader move toward gig-style employment.
“For students, this has increased financial pressure and reduced employment certainty at a time when stability is critical. Graduate opportunities remain similarly constrained. Permanent, full-time roles for new graduates continue to be scarce, reflecting wider labour market conditions and ongoing challenges in youth employment.”
Across SJS as a whole, student engagement and demand remain strong. Quarter Two saw more than 122,000 job applications, an increase of 10.5 percent year on-year. Vacancies increased by 9.8 percent, maintaining demand pressures similar to the previous quarter. Industry trends reinforce this structural shift. The largest volumes of vacancies were again in hospitality and tourism, education and childcare, household support, and agriculture - all sectors where short-term, seasonal, or casual work is common during summer.
“Students are having to work harder than ever to secure three or four roles, unlike in the past when they might have just had one permanent part-time role,” Louise says.
“We continue to encourage employers that we all started somewhere, and today’s student need those same opportunities. We make an effort to hire students here at SJS and they are fantastic.
“They’re flexible, motivated, and can often start straight away. Not to mention, they help keep us all young!”
To register as a student or list a job, head to www.sjs.co.nz – it’s free!