As many household budgets stretch towards breaking point, new research has revealed millions of Australians have been forced into working more to cope with financial stress.

A survey by comparison site Finder showed one in four people, the equivalent of 4.8 million workers, have taken on a second job, are working longer hours or even come out of retirement to make ends meet.

Food and energy prices continue to soar, and paying mortgages or rent has become increasingly difficult for many over the past year.

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The survey of 1078 respondents found that 14 per cent of workers are now toiling longer hours to bring in more cash.

A further 7 per cent – equivalent to 1.4 million people – have gone further, taking on a second job to offset rising costs.

Around 3 per cent of people said they had no option but to take the radical step of coming out of retirement to bolster their finances, the survey said.

A confluence of economic factors has hit household budgets hard.

Last week Australia's unemployment data surprised many analysts by rising to 3.7 per cent, and that number is tipped to worsen over the year.

In an effort to rein in inflation, the Reserve Bank has bumped up the cash rate 11 times times in the last 12 months.

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