Payroll jobs in Australia have dropped 0.4 per cent during the month to August 22, according to new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

While Victoria experienced a 2 per cent decline in jobs, the rest of the country saw a 0.1 per cent increase. However, Victoria did see its jobs decline start to slow.

“While payroll jobs continued to fall in Victoria into the third week of August, it was at a slower rate than earlier in the month,” ABS head of labour statistics Bjorn Jarvis said in a statement.

On August 22, jobs across Australia were 4.2 per cent below the levels they were in mid-March, when the country had its 100th confirmed coronavirus case.

Once again, Victoria experienced a higher drop in payroll jobs, which were 7.9 per cent below mid-March levels. The rest of Australia, however, had a 2.9 per cent drop.

ABS jobs
Source: ABS

The hardest-hit industries in terms of job losses were accommodation, food services, arts and recreation services.

“While accommodation and food services and arts and recreation services have recovered close to half (40 per cent and 49 per cent) of payroll jobs lost since the low point in mid-April, they remain 21 per cent and 14 per cent lower than mid-March,” Jarvis said.

He added that those industries were affected particularly in Victoria. Jobs across the state’s accommodation and food services were down 38 per cent, while arts and recreation jobs fell 23 per cent below mid-March levels.

There was some positive news across other industries in Australia. Back in the middle of March, the four industries with the biggest share of payroll jobs were healthcare and social assistance, retail trade, professional, scientific and technical services, and education and training – accounting for 41 per cent.

By August 22, these sectors were back to more than 96 per cent of the jobs recorded in the middle of March.

The ABS figures come after Victoria continues to face some of the country’s toughest restrictions due to the state’s coronavirus case numbers.

On Sunday, September 6, state Premier Daniel Andrews announced an extension to Melbourne’s lockdowns.

From September 13 some restrictions will be eased, with the curfew running from 9pm to 5am, two hours of outdoor exercise allowed and one visitor permitted for people in a single person household.

The state government also released a roadmap on how it will reopen depending on the number of daily coronavirus cases recorded.

This article first appeared on Business Insider Australia, Australia’s most popular business news website. Read the original article. Follow Business Insider on Facebook or Twitter.

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