The impact of covid-19 could be a defining time for the job market.

Just how many roles have been affected by Covid-19 won't be known for months, with hundreds of businesses closing either temporarily or permanently.

Infometrics economist Gareth Kiernan told Mike Hosking that it's awful for those people, but it's also a chance to coordinate skills, people and jobs.

"The Government was doing reforms to vocational education even before this came along, to try and achieve better outcomes through that.

"If they can take that momentum through to a broader training environment and broader education environment, then we could be seeing steps in the right direction."