New data from workforce management platform Deputy has highlighted a nationwide surge in nighttime spending, offering insights into factors influencing consumer behaviour and employment in the hospitality sector.
In the 2025 Big Shift Report by Deputy, data reveals that Australia’s capital cities have experienced significant growth in nighttime spending, reaching $20.9bn in 2024. Brisbane leads the way with $6.2bn, followed by Melbourne at $5.1bn and Sydney at $3.5bn.
As a result, Australia’s nighttime economy growth continues to outperform global counterparts like New York and Los Angeles, demonstrating economic resilience and highlighting the renewed push by hospitality businesses to engage consumers after dark.
Dr Shashi Karunanethy, Chief Economist at Geografia, who collaborated with Deputy on the report, said this growth is predicted to continue.
“In the coming years, nighttime economic growth is expected to accelerate across all Australian metropolitan cities. This shift is driven by three factors — changing consumer habits and rising incomes, regulatory shifts, and urban heat and climate change impact,” he said.
Spending accelerates the night-time economy
Rather than allocating discretionary income toward retail purchases or big-ticket expenses such as international travel, data shows that Australians are prioritising experiences – favouring drinking and dining, entertainment, and visits to hospitality venues, particularly in capital cities, where nighttime spending has surged.
The data also suggests that with rising daytime temperatures, consumers are shifting their drinking and dining habits toward cooler evening hours.
As household incomes recover from cost-of-living pressures of recent years, demand for vibrant, late-night hospitality precincts will continue to expand and become key drivers of long-term growth in urban centres. Cities like Brisbane and Sydney will continue to mature into major nighttime economy destinations.
Unlike Sydney and Melbourne, Brisbane has largely avoided the extreme housing cost pressures that have constrained discretionary spending in other states. This has enabled households to allocate more income towards drinking, dining and entertainment.
City governments gradually easing trading restrictions is also set to stimulate economic revitalisation and encourage evening commerce. For example, Perth has already implemented policy shifts designed to expand the number of businesses permitted to operate late into the night.
As governments, businesses, and workers adapt, extended trade is expected to create new opportunities for employment.
Shift work and poly-employment in hospitality
With Brisbane already emerging as Australia’s top performer in nighttime economic expansion, night shift hours grew by 10 per cent in 2024.
In Sydney, only 12 per cent of total shift work hours in 2022 were night shifts. By 2024, this grew to 16 per cent, reflecting a steady shift.
In particular, Australia’s shift work industry has largely been propelled by employment growth in the hospitality sector, with Deputy’s platform identifying a 40 per cent increase in shift work hours compared to early 2023. While sit-down restaurants make up 60 per cent of shift work hours, bars now account for 26 per cent.
Hospitality is also the most popular industry for poly-workers or those holding multiple jobs simultaneously, sitting at 7.4 per cent.
Deputy’s data revealed that half of all poly-workers in the country hold multiple jobs within the same industry, with 43 per cent of hospitality poly-workers working additional hospitality jobs at different businesses.
The other half of poly-workers split their employment across different industries, while hospitality, combined with other industries, is the most common dual-job combination among these workers.
This suggests that the flexibility and availability of hospitality jobs make the sector an attractive option for workers seeking additional income.
In 2025, poly-employment rates are expected to decline as inflationary and cost-of-living pressures ease. However, the fundamental trends driving job mobility, financial stress, and shift worker sentiment will continue to shape the labour market.
Gender and hospitality work
Deputy data identifies that most poly-workers are young women. Of all workers with multiple jobs – 58 per cent are women, of which 62 per cent belong to Gen Z, followed by 30 percent from the Millennial generation.
Women’s higher participation in poly-employment reflects broader trends in job mobility. While men are more likely to quit their jobs in favour of higher pay, women tend to stay in their current roles while taking on additional work.
Women and men continue to contribute roughly equal shift work hours in the hospitality sector. The data shows women are maintaining 49 per cent of all hospitality shift work hours. This stability suggests that, despite broader economic pressures, employment opportunities for women in the sector have remained consistent.
However, the industry continues to grapple with high turnover with 27 per cent of hospitality workers looking to resign, whether that is to seek employment with a new company, transition to a different industry, or leave the workforce entirely.
Key takeaways for bar owners and operators
- Extend operating hours to capture evening demand – Those who aren’t already capturing increased nighttime demand should consider adapting trading hours to align with shifting consumer habits toward nighttime drinking, dining and entertainment.
- Invest in the experience economy – Prioritise creating memorable, high-value customer experiences over product-heavy offerings.
- Leverage policy shifts – Stay updated on local government regulations and take advantage of extended trading permissions.
- Optimise shift scheduling and flexibility – Create sustainable, flexible rosters that support night shift work and meet the needs of young women and Gen Z workers.
