The number of payroll jobs fell 0.5 per cent between the weeks ending December 4 and December 18, new Australian Bureau of Statistics data show.
The largest drop in payrolls came in the he largest changes in education and training (-2.8 per cent) and real estate services (-1.2 per cent).
The Northern Territory and NSW suffered the biggest falls.
Separate labour force data for December will give a fuller picture of the jobs market on Thursday.