Australian total payroll jobs fall 1.1% between mid-June and mid-July

SYDNEY - Australian employment fell 1.1% between mid-June and mid-July, weekly data showed on Tuesday, with the biggest lost suffered in the second most populous state of Victoria which is seeing a fresh wave of coronavirus infections.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said total payroll jobs decreased 2.2% in Victoria as additional COVID-19 restrictions were re-introduced.

Nationally, payroll jobs are 5.6% below mid-March levels, when Australia recorded its 100th confirmed COVID-19 case forcing it to introduce strict mobility restrictions.

(Reporting by Swati Pandey and Wayne Cole; Editing by Kim Coghill) ((swati.pandey@thomsonreuters.com; +61 2 9321 8166; Reuters Messaging: twitter.com/swatisays))