The state overall continued its stop-start jobs recovery from the coronavirus crash in the week ending on September 5, Australian Bureau of Statistics figures based on payrolls showed.

Payroll employment increased by 0.3 per cent for the week, following a 0.1 per cent decrease in the previous week.

Total payroll employment remained 4.3 per cent below the level of the week ending March 14, when the nation recorded its 100^th confirmed coronavirus case.

National employment was down by 4.5 per cent, with Victoria (negative 8.3 per cent) hardest hit.

The figures showed employment at Tasmanian operations with 200 or more employees increased jobs by 1 per cent between August 22 and September 5.

Their jobs number was just 1.3 per cent down compared to March 14.

Medium-sized businesses (20-199 employees) had been hardest hit overall, shedding 7.3 per cent of employment since March 14 and 0.4 per cent in the most recent fortnight.

Businesses with fewer than 20 employees had dropped 6.2 per cent of jobs during the pandemic period, including 0.6 per cent in the fortnight until September 5.

Economist Saul Eslake said manufacturing and retail had the strongest percentage gains in payroll jobs in the fortnight to September 5, at 3 per cent and 2.8 per cent respectively.

He said the biggest losses were in accommodation and food services (down 3.7 per cent), professional, scientific and technical services (down 2.7 per cent) and agriculture, forestry and fishing (down 2.5 per cent).

"The number of payroll jobs in agriculture, forestry and fishing is now down 17.3 per cent from where it was in the week ended March 14, a decline exceeded only by accommodation and food services, down 17.4 per cent," he said.

"The net decline in payroll employment in Tasmanian agriculture, forestry and fishing since mid-March is almost double the corresponding national average of 9.3 per cent, which may at least in part be attributable to different seasonal variations in employment in agriculture in Tasmania compared with the mainland.

"The other large net payroll job losers since the onset of the pandemic have been arts and recreation services, down a net 11.7 per cent, information, media and telecommunications services, down 8.5 per cent, finance and insurance, down 7.2 per cent, and transport, postal and warehousing services, down 5.7 per cent.

"The big winner in terms of payroll job creation has been mining, where the number of payroll jobs has risen by almost 40 per cent from the trough in the second week of May, to be a net 15.9 per cent higher than it was in mid-March."

He said the only other Tasmanian industries with net increases in payroll jobs since the start of the pandemic were public administration and safety (1.8 per cent), utilities (1.3 per cent) and healthcare and social assistance (0.3 per cent).