An analysis of payroll data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows the toll the virus shutdowns have taken on youth employment in the nation's capital.

There was a 20.4 per cent drop in the number of ACT workers aged under 20 between March 14, when Australia recorded its 100th coronavirus case, and May 30.

In Victoria, under 20s recorded an 18.7 per cent fall, while in NSW, this figure was 17.1 per cent.

South Australia saw a drop in under 20s employed of 16.3 per cent, while Tasmania recorded a 15.5 per cent decline.

Northern Territory saw the lowest drop in under 20s employed, at 8.2 per cent.

However, the ACT fared better than the majority of the nation when it came to job losses in all other age brackets.

Around 11.9 per cent ACT workers aged between 20 and 29 lost their jobs. Victoria was the worst hit jurisdiction, with a 14.3 per cent fall in payroll jobs for those aged 20 to 29.

The downturn in employment for people aged 30 to 39 was 5.6 per cent in the ACT, compared to 7.8 per cent in Tasmania and 7 per cent in Victoria

For people aged over 70, the difference was even more stark. in the ACT, 5.3 per cent of people aged over 70 lost their job, compared to 13.4 per cent in NSW, 13.3 per cent in Victoria and a staggering 24.1 per cent in Tasmania.

Women have also been hit hardest in terms of job losses.

There was a 7.1 per cent downturn in the number of jobs held by women since March in the ACT, compared to a 5.6 per cent fall in men's jobs.

The ACT's accommodation and food services industry fared marginally worse than the national average, with a 30.9 per cent fall in employment between March and June.

The arts and recreation sector was the next worst-hit industry, with a 25.9 per cent fall in jobs. Nationally, 26.3 per cent of arts jobs were lost.

Overall, there was a fall in total wages of 6.8 per cent in the ACT between March and June. The worst-hit jurisdiction was Tasmania with a fall of 9.5 per cent.

Experts have warned of the long lasting impacts this period of unemployment could have on younger Australians.

Centre for Social Impact researcher Professor Paul Flatau said young people were likely to struggle with the transition to work after education due to a declining number of entry-level positions and increased competition.

Without "timely and targeted intervention", youth were at a high risk of missing out on a strong entry into the labour market and consequently of being financially disadvantaged and even being welfare dependent for their lifetime, Professor Flatau said.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the number of under 20s and over 70s employed. These details have been corrected.