Cost of living: 70-hour weeks, ‘second-job epidemic’ hits

The cost of living crisis has given rise to what some are describing as a “second-job epidemic”, Newshub reports, and some Kiwis are being forced to take on multiple jobs just to afford the basics. One 24-year-old Auckland woman describes working up to 70 hours a week, taking up a part-time job at a supermarket on top of her full-time role at a finance company. Official data this week shows wages increased 3.4% compared to last year, as businesses seek to attract or maintain staff in a tight labour market. But price inflation is more than double that at 7.3%, meaning wage growth is trailing behind the cost of living.