Data released on Thursday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) suggested that thousands more women in the region may be out of work compared to when the restrictions began.

The detailed job figures indicate there were 5200 fewer jobs for women in the Ballarat region in July (a total of 33,200) than in January when the female workforce officially stood at 38,400 jobs.

In the same timeframe, the number of men's jobs has actually slightly increased.

Local federal representative Catherine King called the figures "devastating" and said the government needed to offer targeted help, a call that was echoed by the CEO of Commerce Ballarat Jodie Gillett.

Statisticians for the ABS warn against drawing firm conclusions on the basis of month-by-month changes due to the sampling size. However, five months on since restrictions were first introduced, the patterns are consistently showing a worse trend for the female workforce than for males in Ballarat.

For example, the employment to population ratio for women in this latest batch of figures stands at 46.9 per cent among women, the lowest recorded since April 2014. That compares to 67.2 per cent for men.

Meanwhile unemployment among the female workforce has risen by 1.5 per cent since January when using the more reliable 12-month average (it currently stands at 4.2 per cent), while it has remained flatter for men. It suggests that, unlike previous downturns when male workers were the most impacted, it is women feeling the pinch the most at a local level.

A massive rise to 10.7 per cent unemployment rate among women recorded in the latest ABS release comes with the caveat that the "estimate is subject to sampling variability too high for most practical purposes".

The broad trend across the state suggests women have been losing jobs more quickly than men. However, the situation as presented by the latest ABS figures suggest the disparity is even more acute in the Ballarat region.

There were around 49,000 fewer men employed across Victoria in July compared to January, while the number of women employed fell by 70,000 - from a lower employment base to begin with.

Ms King said: "Unlike previous recessions which disproportionately affected male employment, this time it is women who are bearing much of the brunt.

"These figures again highlight why ongoing government support is going to be needed for our community through the recovery.

"The unique impacts felt by particular groups of workers - whether they be young or old, female or male - must be taken into account as the government deliver support."

While it is difficult to extrapolate an accurate assessment for each sector, one of the biggest employers of women locally is the accommodation and food services sector.

According to jobs data, there were 5300 women working in that sector in the Ballarat region compared to 2,300 men late last year, when it was the fastest growing industry for jobs in the area.

Employment rates in different sectors (pre-COVID)

That sector has been one of the worst affected by the shutdown, and is also traditionally heavily reliant on casual labour - a section of the workforce that has proved particularly vulnerable t the economic uncertainty prompted by COVID-19.

Retail too has been badly hit. The proportion of men to women is more balanced in this sector - the second largest employer in the region - with a little more than 10 per cent more women than men. However, the challenges faced by that sector could well be reflected in the July job figures.

Other sectors that traditionally employ more women than men - such as health and social care (Ballarat's biggest employer) as well as education and teaching - have not, so far been as badly affected in terms of raw employment terms.

Ms Gillett said "It is concerning to see the trend and we'd encourage all levels of government to be aware of it and look at ways to address that in the types of opportunities that are offered."

The unemployment figures also have what Ms Gillett termed as a "false bottom". This means the true level of joblessness is being disguised by JobKeeper subsidy, which means many people who would otherwise be registered as unemployed are currently not part of those statistics.

"We don't really know what the true unemployment rate really looks like due to JobKeeper - and that just goes to show how important JobKeeper is," Ms Gillett said.

Earlier this month, the federal government announced changes which will make it easier for employees and employers to continue to use the JobKeeper scheme beyond the original end of September deadline.

The move was made in response to increased economic pressures caused by new restrictions in Victoria as COVID-19 infections rose sharply across the state.

SEE ALSO:

Employment in Ballarat: How bad can it get and what can be done?

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