Victoria’s lockdown resulted in a 2.1 per cent drop in the number of people on business payrolls.Credit:Getty Images
Every state and territory bar the Northern Territory suffered a fall in payrolls over the period that covered part of the Victorian lockdown,which started on May 27.
Payrolls fell by 1.1 per cent in both Tasmania and the ACT while in NSW they fell by 0.6 per cent.
The drop in people working also had a substantial impact on wages. Total wages paid across Victoria over the period dropped by 2.8 per cent while in Tasmania they edged down by 2 per cent.
Lockdowns continue to hit the hospitality sector the hardest. The payrolls of accommodation and food service businesses in Victoria dropped by 10.2 per cent in the fortnight while they dropped for similar businesses in Tasmania by 3.5 per cent and in South Australia by 3.3 per cent.
Victoria’s arts and recreation services sector suffered an 8 per cent hit.
The bureau’s head of labour statistics,Bjorn Jarvis,said the data covered the first nine days of the Victorian lockdown,which was extended from its initial seven-day duration.
He said lockdowns continued to hurt specific industries.