Predictable income v agency: What makes a job safe in 2026?

While once seen as a significant risk, many are looking at entrepreneurship through different eyes during a time of economic instability that is affecting the definition of a secure job – but not all are convinced.

Earlier this year, HR Leader’s sister brand, Accountants Daily, reported on how alternative means of wealth building – namely, starting a business or working on a side hustle – are increasingly popular as risk perception changes in response to a dynamic, fraught job market.

Now, new research from Shopify has shown that the very idea of a safe job is shifting, with 40 per cent of the 2,000 surveyed business owners and senior decision-makers agreeing that running a business is more financially secure than a traditional job.

Surprisingly, 46 per cent of Australian business owners claim traditional employment is more demanding than opening a business, and 43 per cent believe starting a business is easier today than it was 10 years ago.

According to Shaun Broughton, Asia-Pacific and Japan managing director at Shopify, technology is an equalising force for many who were once unwilling to take the jump. He said: “Salary jobs have long been associated with financial security, but that definition is shifting, particularly as technology makes it easier than ever to start and run a business.

“For many business leaders, security is no longer about a steady salary or single employer, but about control, flexibility, and the ability to build something of their own.

“When founders have access to the right support, whether that’s skills training, trade assistance, or reduced red tape, they’re far more likely to start and sustain a business. That’s key to maintaining Australia’s global competitiveness and building a resilient entrepreneurial economy.”

Business leaders are seemingly learning to adapt to the new normal of economic volatility, with 43 per cent of business leaders claiming dynamic conditions are actually making setbacks feel less serious and permanent. The road to success, however, is accordingly rocky – while 45 per cent of surveyed business leaders would, in hindsight, take the same steps in building their business, 46 per cent would do something differently should they start again.

At the same time, almost three-quarters of those surveyed still associate traditional employment with long-term stability, and 69 per cent would still consider traditional employment should economic conditions worsen, signalling that perceived opportunity isn’t always matching reality. While sentiment around economic risk could – and is arguably likely – to continue shifting, it is clear that, while holding traditional employment does not make one impervious to financial insecurity, it is still widely considered a predictable employment option.

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