One year ago, Pedro* had a high-paying job as an analyst for the President of Ecuador.

Now he works seven days a week, delivering meals, on his bike.

Pedro and his wife Claudia* immigrated to Australia to learn English and upskill in their respective fields.

After building a successful career in the public sector, Pedro expected to be able to land a similar role Down Under.

But after months of putting in job applications and never getting a call back, he realised riding the streets of Sydney was a more realistic option.

The Australia Talks National Survey has revealed 80 per cent of Australians believe the country has a problem with unemployment.

The data also revealed one in four people were worried they might lose their job in the next 12 months.

Those in culturally and linguistically diverse communities — such as recent immigrants — were among the most concerned about job security, with more than 46 per cent nominating it as a problem for them personally.

Pedro turned to the gig economy to make ends meet, but his pay is unpredictable.

The student visas for which they were approved meant their work hours were capped.

"Australia is for Australian residents," he said.

"I didn't realise how limited my career opportunities would be because of my visa being capped at 20 hours.

"I make between $600 to $900 per week on the same exact hours.

"Sometimes it's about the weather, it's better when it's raining for jobs, but when it's sunny, it's quiet."

'Eat, sleep, rinse and repeat'

Pedro is one of a growing number of people who have abandoned nine-to-five jobs and are now finding work on a task-by-task basis.

A 2019 Queensland University of Technology study found NSW has the highest number of "on demand" workers in the country.

However, it is hard to quantify how many of those workers are using the gig economy as a last resort, like Pedro, or how many are happily using it to top up their pay packets.

Robert Chang is saving for a house deposit and delivers food as a second job. ( ABC News: Mridula Amin )

Robert Chang, 27, also delivers food for work — but it's his second job.

After he has finished his long shifts as a postie during the week, Robert works about 13 hours over the weekend for Uber Eats, delivering meals in south-western Sydney.

Mr Chang is trying to save for a house deposit.

"At the moment, I'm pretty much 'no-lifeing it' — just work, eat, sleep, rinse and repeat," he said.

"People need to work harder to live in Sydney, it's an expensive place.

"We have to put out the hours to get the end goal. It's pretty grim but it is possible."

Nearly half of the Australia Talks survey respondents said work-life balance was a problem for them personally and 59 per cent of working Australians said they would be happier if they worked less.

NSW has the highest number of "on demand" workers in Australia. ( ABC News: Mridula Amin )

The data revealed people in culturally and linguistically diverse communities were struggling at work more than other Australians.

They were more likely to have poor work-life balance, job security and career opportunities than other workers.

Mr Chang said he felt for migrants like Pedro who relied on the gig economy to survive.

While the Australia Talks data revealed significant concerns about unemployment, 71 per cent of respondents thought technology was having a positive effect on jobs.

'He's working to survive'

Engadine couple Wade and Eboni Cattley also top up their income via the gig economy.

Mr Cattley said his job as a truck driver during the week "pays fairly well" but was not enough to support two people in Sydney — particularly as his wife has a cognitive disability, which limits her employment opportunities.

"Eboni doesn't drive but she comes along, rides along, we're sort of like a team," he said.

Eboni Cattley often joins her husband Wade on jobs so they can spend time together. ( ABC News: Mridula Amin )

The couple struggled to make ends meet before they began gigging, and the supplementary income helps them save.

There's also another reason they like it.

"During the week, sometimes he may come home 8:00pm or 9:00pm, we don't get to spend enough time together so when we Uber together, it's a bit of time we can spend together," Ms Cattley said.

"We're saving for a house deposit, we put away a bit each week, we want to start a family and sometimes I worry about that," Mr Cattley said.

"It takes me away from the family for so long but sometimes you've got to do what you got to do."

Some nights Pedro and his wife Claudia don't see each other until 10:00pm. ( ABC News: Mridula Amin )

Pedro has done almost 3,000 deliveries this year and his erratic evening hours has put a strain on his marriage.

Back in Ecuador, he and his wife's nine-to-five jobs meant they could spend plenty of time together.

Now they're lucky to fit in a swim at the beach or a salsa dance — one of their favourite past-times.

"I do feel happy, but sometimes he comes home at 10:00pm, after I've worked in the day so I'm exhausted too," Claudia said.

"Sometimes I feel frustrated as I'm excited to experience life here, to meet new friends, yet he's working to survive."

*Not their real names.

The Australia Talks National Survey asked 54,000 Australians about their lives and what keeps them up at night. Use our interactive tool to see the results and how their answers compare with yours.

Then, tune in at 8.30pm on November 18, as the ABC hosts a live TV event with some of Australia's best-loved celebrities exploring the key findings of the Australia Talks National Survey.