Border closures related to the pandemic in Australia will see the country’s economy AU$2.7 billion worse off due to losses in income that would usually be generated by the ELICOS sector, according to a new analysis.

English Australia’s Economic Impact research – prepared by Bonard – found that border closures resulted in a $1.2bn loss for the English language teaching sector in 2020, while the projected losses for future pathways in 2021 is around $1.5bn. The longer borders are closed, the larger the predicted losses for the sector will be, it warned.

“This new analysis clearly demonstrates how hard the sector was hit by the pandemic in 2020 and highlights the interconnectedness of English language study in Australia to all other sectors,” Brett Blacker, English Australia CEO explained.

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