While the number of payroll jobs in Victoria as a whole has fallen by 1.3 per cent since the pandemic began, in Ballarat that figure stands at 3.6 per cent, data published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows.

In neighbouring Hepburn Shire - a municipality where the economy relies heavily on tourism - the decline is still more pronounced with 4.2 per cent fewer payroll jobs in the area.

The local figures do, however, reflect an increasingly positive picture for the regional economy compared to much of last year.

For example, on April 25 last year, the decrease in payroll jobs in Ballarat stood at 7.5 per cent, while it was still higher in November at around 4.1 per cent lower than the benchmark date of March 14, 2020.

The new statistical measure was introduced in March last year to track the changes from the time the 100th case of COVID-19 was registered in the country.

It tracks payroll jobs through payments made to the Australian Taxation Office using the Single Touch Payroll system.

The new analysis was introduced to try and monitor the ongoing impact of coronavirus.

The payroll data offers more immediate feedback, with figures available two and a half weeks after payments have been submitted.

It is also viewed as more comprehensive as it includes details for millions of employees, compared to just 50,000 for the regular Labour Force Survey conducted by the ABS.

The figures reflect seasonal variations with the number of payroll payments dipping to their lowest point in early January, including in Ballarat where the number was a 9.2 per cent decrease from the middle of March last year - a similar pattern to the previous year.

Last month, the figures showed the number of payroll jobs across the country had almost recovered to pre-COVID levels, although Victoria as a whole was still behind.

Across Australia there was a 0.2 per cent decrease in payroll jobs compared to the level when the COVID case numbers hit 100.

Data is also available for different sectors, with the latest details confirming that accommodation and tourism has been worst hit of all, down 11.6 per cent compared to a year ago.

While the percentage difference to last year has been published, the exact number of payroll jobs is not stated.

The worst hit area in the country is currently the statistical area of Wellington, which comprises a number of winter resorts as well as the Lakes Entrance area in western Gippsland.

Payroll jobs there are still down 10.1 per cent compared to this time last year.

Today is the first day JobKeeper payments will no longer be paid by the Federal Government. There are fears of significant job losses, but it is unclear yet how it will impact employment levels in Ballarat.

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