Businesses signal keeping COVID-19 modifications

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Released
24/09/2020
Source
Business Indicators, Business Impacts of COVID-19, September 2020

Almost one third of businesses expect modifications put in place to manage the impacts of COVID-19 will be kept long-term, according to latest survey results from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The Business Impacts of COVID-19 Survey found that two-thirds of businesses are currently trading with modifications because of the pandemic.

ABS Head of Industry Statistics, John Shepherd said: “Our latest survey showed that some businesses are expecting to keep changes they have made to keep operating.

“These include changes to the way products or services are provided (20 per cent), changes to staff roles or duties (15 per cent) and changes to the types and range of products and services offered (11 per cent).”

The latest release also includes information about the changes to workforce arrangements.

 “There has been an increase in the proportion of businesses that have employees teleworking, compared to pre-COVID-19 (43 per cent compared to 28 per cent),” Mr Shepherd said.

“When restrictions are lifted and conditions stabilise, 29 per cent of businesses expect employees to continue teleworking and a third of employing businesses expect staff hours to increase."

This survey is part of a series of additional products the ABS is releasing to measure the economic impact of COVID-19. Data was collected between 10 September and 16 September. Further information is available in Business Indicators, Business Impacts of COVID-19 (Cat. No. 5676.0.55.003).

The ABS thanks all those who contributed data to this release.

Media notes

  • The additional ABS products published to understand the economic impact of COVID-19 can be found on a dedicated page on the ABS website.
  • A small business is one with 0-19 employees; a medium business has 20-199 employees; and a large business has 200 or more employees.
  • When reporting ABS data you must attribute the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or the ABS) as the source.
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