WellbeingWork and Wellbeing Bounce Back during Coronavirus Crisis

Published 4 June 2020

Government measures to arrest the economic impact of COVID-19 have helped stop further job losses and declines in working hours, new analysis from The Australian National University (ANU) shows.  The steadier jobs outlook has also boosted Australians’ sense of wellbeing. The Australian National University says that the analysis builds on a first-of-its-kind longitudinal ANU survey in April, which showed more than 670,000 Australians had lost their jobs due to the crisis - an unprecedented drop in employment.  The new survey shows since April there have essentially been no net job losses, with employment sitting at around 58 per cent.  Australians who are working have slightly increased their number of hours worked, jumping from 32.3 hours per week in April to 32.8 per week in May.