The ABS notes that "COVID-19 has forced...>

AUSTRALIA: The ABS notes that "COVID-19 has forced 70% of Australian businesses

to change how they operate, according to results from the fourth Australian

Bureau of Statistics (ABS) survey on Business Impacts of COVID-19. ABS Head of

Industry Statistics John Shepherd said that the survey also showed that seven in

ten businesses (72%) had a decrease in revenue as a result of COVID-19. Mr

Shepherd said: "Businesses that had changed the way they operate were more than

twice as likely to report a decrease in revenue compared with those that were

trading normally, 83% against 37%." The survey also found that almost three

quarters of businesses accessed support measures as a result of COVID-19. This

included accessing wage subsidies (55%) and other government support measures

(38%). Looking ahead, government restrictions are expected to continue to have

an effect, with businesses reporting they expect some level of impact from

social distancing measures (71%), restrictions on trading (63%) and travel

restrictions (50%) in the next two months. 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 the 13 May and 22 May 2020."