The latest data paints a grim picture for the economy, but it also shows that Wagga is still faring substantially better than the rest of NSW.
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In the June quarter Wagga suffered a nine per cent decline in Gross Regional Product, which compares favourably to a 12 per cent decline nation-wide and a 13.8 per cent drop across the state.
Wagga's jobs figures have also taken a crushing blow, but still nowhere near as bad as cities such as Sydney and Melbourne which rely more heavily on tourism.
Around 1946 Wagga locals lost their jobs to lockdown, or 3547 if you include the number of people who rely on JobKeeper.
A major chunk of those job losses stem from accommodation and hospitality businesses, with 581 workers stood down and a further 653 living off of JobKeeper.
The education sector also suffered its fair share of job losses, with 409 people stood down and 206 workers subsisting on JobKeeper.
The only industry which was not rocked by job losses was the health and social care sector, which actually hired an additional 732 workers amid soaring demand.
In other news:
Douglass Hanly Moir regional manager Pene Jefferies said it had been a frantically busy few months for the pathology clinic, which has been working with Wagga Base Hospital to tackle the pandemic.
"I can't believe how quickly this six months has gone. The last few months has gone in a blink of an eye because I don't think anyone's had time to sit down and think," Ms Jefferies said.
"Policies and procedures were changing hourly. What was black and white in the morning changed that afternoon."
The manufacturing industry was not spared from job losses, but bucking the trend was Wagga Stainless Steel owner David Wheeler, who was able to keep all his workers in a job.
The business suffered a drop in sales during the stages months of lockdown due to the closure of pubs and clubs, which were their main customer base.
However since returning from the Easter break Mr Wheeler said he saw a drastic increase in sales, as more businesses and homeowners turned to renovation during the downtime.
"It's been busier than it ever has been," Mr Wheeler said.
"We don't know how where it's going to go, but so far we've been lucky. We've been blessed."
If anything, Mr Wheeler said he had the opposite problem of struggling to find enough skilled workers even as unemployment figures skyrocket.
For young people looking for job security, Mr Wheeler said Wagga's manufacturing industry was always on the hunt for apprentices.
Kenji Sato
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
