As many as 12,500 jobs have been lost in Illawarra's five local government areas as a result of COVID-19.
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New estimates by the Illawarra Business Chamber have put the number of people out of work much higher than first thought.
During March there were other reports of between 5000 and 10,000 jobs losses occurring on the South Coast.
But the Illawarra Business Chamber update on the likely impact of the coronavirus crisis in Wollongong, Shellharbour, Kiama, Shoalhaven and the Wingecarribee is likely to be closer to the mark.
It comes a day after the Australian Bureau of Statistics released estimates that 240,000 jobs may have been lost across the state since February.
And revealed the NSW unemployment rate has more than than doubled to 10.2 per cent.
Illawarra Business Chamber executive director Adam Zarth said further analysis of the ABS figures by Business NSW indicates how the estimates would play out at a regional level and potential impacts on the unemployment rate.
"Potentially 8,600 jobs have been lost in the Illawarra, which nearly doubles its unemployment rate to 11.4 percent," Mr Zarth said.
"In the Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven, 3,900 jobs have potentially been lost, lifting the unemployment rate of these two regions combined to 14.1 percent - the highest in the state by some margin."
Mr Zarth said the ABS data shows COVID-19 has impacted some sectors more than others. Accommodation and food services have been among the worst hit with a 25.6 per cent drop in employees.
He said there were other variables at play in trying to come up with a completely accurate picture but no matter what the total number of job losses have been it is clear they are significant.
And that underlines the importance of government actions to support businesses.
The chamber welcomed welcomed the recent assistance and is closely monitoring its implementation.
Mr Zarth said it was also important to consider and plan for how the Illawarra coordinates a response to so many jobs losses and the resultant disruption of the regional economy.
"We will be advocating strongly for a series of initiatives aimed at supporting our region's economic recovery, which should involve a substantial reduction of government taxes, fees and levies on one hand and significant ongoing stimulatory measures on the other".
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Greg Ellis
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
