Telstra and the NSW government has created 2000 new jobs in the last week but it's unclear if any of them will be in the Illawarra.
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Last week Telstra announced it was looking to hire just over 1000 short-term customer service staff.
Not one of those jobs will be located in the Illawarra.
"The roles will be located across six sites in Australia where we have a contact centre presence - Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Hobart, Bathurst and Townsville," a Telstra spokesman said.
The spokesman said Telstra had already received more than 8000 applications for the 1000 positions.
On Wednesday, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the government would employ 1000 people to help Service NSW carry out its role.
Some will be answering calls to the Service NSW 13 77 88 phone line, which will operate 24 hours a day seven days a week.
They would be taking non-health related COVID-19 calls and the positions would be a mixture of full-time, part-time and casual roles.
Others will be handling face-to-face inquiries at Service NSW centres across the state.
"We're hiring more staff to respond to this health crisis and the Service NSW contact centre, will temporarily transition to 24/7 operation to support the state's response to COVID-19," Ms Berejiklian said.
"Whether you want to know the latest updates on restrictions, cost of living assistance, financial support for businesses or rules around social distancing, the hotline is here to help."
The office of Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello did not say whether any of the 1000 positions would be in the Illawarra, though residents were still encouraged to register their interest through the Service NSW website.
The registration portal states the government department is working with "businesses such as airlines, tourism operators, pubs and clubs to match stood down employees with appropriate roles".
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Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
