Thousands of jobs return in NT as jurisdiction opens up, though Victoria crisis shakes confidence

An estimated 4000 jobs have returned in the NT since the peak of the coronavirus shutdown, although the ripple impact of Victoria’s outbreak has dented business confidence in the north.

AN estimated 4000 jobs have returned in the NT since the peak of the coronavirus shutdown, although the ripple impact of Victoria’s outbreak has dented business confidence in the north.

New weekly payroll data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed jobs in the NT from March 14 — when Australia recorded its 100th case of COVID-19 — to July 11 were down by 3.7 per cent.

At the peak of coronavirus shutdown, then again at the end of May, payroll jobs revealed a drop of 5.7 per cent.

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With 135,400 people employed in about 200,000 jobs in the NT just before the pandemic hit, this equates to 11,400 jobs lost at the peak, and about 7400 jobs lost as at July 11.

There was a 0.6 per cent fall in payroll jobs in the NT between mid-June and the latest data, which ANZ research senior economist Catherine Birch said was expected, as worries of a widespread breakout impacted confidence nationally.

“There has been a fall in employment in all states and territories (with) confidence impacted at a national level when new COVID-19 cases started to rise in Melbourne,” she said. “It really damages confidence. It makes households more cautious about spending, it makes business more cautious.”

Nationally, payroll jobs are down 5.6 per cent, making NT the second least worst hit behind Western Australia.

The Territory’s hospitality and arts sectors are faring better than the rest of the country, with a 9.1 per cent and 2.6 per cent drop in payroll jobs respectively since March, compared to the national rate of 18.1 per cent and 16.3 per cent.

Hospitality NT chief executive Alex Bruce said while the signs of recovery were positive, the sector was nowhere near where it was pre-pandemic, with the flow-on impact of restaurants and hotels not opening as much and running few events, hitting other industries involved in the supply chain.

“The broad shutdown did freeze part of the economy, and it’s hard to thaw,” he said.

The agriculture, forestry and fishing industry in the NT bucked the national trend, with NT Cattlemen’s Association chief executive Ashley Manicaros saying this was reflective of the cattle industry’s weight in the Territory.

Nationally, jobs in the agriculture sector plummeted 10.3 per cent from March to July, while the NT saw an increase of 3.7 per cent.

“That job spike would be reflective of the cattle industry mustering in the first round for live export, it goes into the importance of the industry in the job creation point of view,” Mr Manicaros said.

The NT’s construction industry has also suffered a hit, despite copious amounts of government stimulus, losing 6.4 per cent or the equivalent of 795 jobs since March.

Nationally 81,700 jobs have been lost in the building and construction industry according to peak industry body Master Builders.

New South Wales has seen the largest percentage and total decline at 7.8 per cent, or nearly 30,000 jobs, while South Australia has seen the smallest percentage decline at 4.0 per cent (down 2,800 jobs).