Victoria loses jobs in hospitality, education, arts; prepares for more losses

The latest figures for Victoria have recorded a rise in unemployment to 6.9 per cent, just under the national average of 7.1 per cent. But while other states can begin the task of rebuilding their economies, Victoria must wait an additional six weeks.

Cheryl Fellows, 47, of Germantown, Md., searches for jobs on a computer at the Germantown Public Library on Friday, Source: AAP

Victoria is bracing for more job losses as it begins a second period of stage three restrictions.

With tens of thousands of jobs disappearing from hospitality, education and the arts, experts say it will be up to other states to build up the national economy and bolster the Victorian job market.

For six and a half years Dash Jayasuriya taught English at a university in Victoria. 

When COVID-19 shut the borders, she was one of the first at her workplace to be let go.

“It was such a hard line, you’ve lost your job, there was no negotiation, no consultation so it was a really scary and distressing time I just started crying," said Ms Jayasuriya.

She’s made the decision to leave the industry all together, joining her partner Brett Niven as a high school teacher.

“I had a plan, it was a life plan for the next ten years of my life and that job was a big part of that plan, she added.

She says she’s one of the lucky ones, because she had a back-up qualification.

Alison Barnes from the National Tertiary Education Union says many others do not.

“I’ve heard stories about people who were teaching and are now delivering newspapers and other sorts of mail to people’s letterboxes, so people are scrambling for any sort of employment they can get," Ms Barnes said.

With a predicted $4.6 billion dollars in revenue losses this year alone - mainly attributed to a lack of international students - conservative estimates put job losses at 21,000.

Ms Barnes predicts it will be even more that across the entire higher education sector.

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