"This is my only job."

Key points: One in four Australian workers are on casual arrangements

One in four Australian workers are on casual arrangements Casuals forced to isolate or to work less due to the coronavirus don't have paid leave available to them

Casuals forced to isolate or to work less due to the coronavirus don't have paid leave available to them The Government is meeting with employee and employer groups on Tuesday to discuss its response

University student Max Woolf relies on his casual shifts at a Canberra cafe to help pay for his rent and other essential costs.

"I'm currently on Youth Allowance but I don't have savings to cover an extended period of time where I'm not working," he said.

Mr Woolf says he doesn't know what he would do if he had to stay home from work without any sick leave.

His situation is far from unique. One in four Australian workers is casual.

Sally McManus from the Australian Council of Trade Unions said all workers should have access to paid leave if told to isolate.

"If we don't have those measures, people will make decisions to take the risk and to work if they need to do so to survive," she said.

"We've got a huge number of insecure workers and we're very exposed."

Among OECD nations, Australia is among a group with a high proportion of casual workers — including Netherlands (21 per cent), Denmark (15 per cent) and Switzerland (13 per cent).

The Government has flagged billions in stimulus, but it is not clear exactly how they will be supporting casual workers.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter would meet with key employee and employer peak groups on Tuesday to discuss workers who may be more exposed.

"I'm very conscious that Australians in employment, be it casual or permanent, will be concerned about their job security," he said.

"Our focus is ensuring that businesses are flexible, given the stresses and the strains that we will see as a result of the spread of the coronavirus.

"And tomorrow's roundtable will be another step forward in ensuring that we can maintain the cooperative workplaces."

Peter Strong from the Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia said workers forced to isolate should receive Newstart "without a doubt".

"That's what they should be getting because they are out of work — for all intents and purposes, they're out of work," he said.

"Hopefully, they go back to work if the business reopens."

Micro business, big problems

Sydney hairdresser Bianna Kupershteyn doesn't have any staff to call in if she gets sick or has to self-isolate because of coronavirus.

Her salon is a microbusiness, meaning it only has a small handful of people working for it. And she's nervous about what the spread of coronavirus could mean for her.

"I've got my own men's hairdressing business and I'm the only person working there, so I would have to shut," she said.

"And it's very hard because if my customers are business people, they're travelling back and forth so if I get it I won't even know who from."

Sydney hairdresser Bianna Kupershteyn, pictured alongside her husband Vlad, is worried about the effect of the virus on her business. ( ABC News: Jade Macmillan )

Small Business Association of Australia chief executive Anne Nalder said problems posed by coronavirus were exacerbated for microbusinesses.

"If the owner comes down ill, there is nobody to run that person's business and that person of course, if they don't work they don't make any money," she said.

"We keep talking about staff but we need to remember there are hundreds of thousands of small business owners who are micro small businesses, they're sole traders and they don't employ anyone."

Ms Nalder urged the Government to consider low-interest loans as part of the stimulus package, like those made available to bushfire-affected businesses.

"It's very, very difficult to get finance in Australia at the best of times, for a small business owner, but I think in a case like this something needs to be done," she said.

"I'm not talking about a handout, I'm talking about something that can possibly be repaid at a later date."

While the most pressing concerns are supporting staff forced to isolate, it's clear the economic slowdown will leave many with fewer work opportunities.

Flight Centre has asked staff to take leave or work fewer hours as it deals with the public's reduced appetite for travel.

And schools are already closing.

Sydney primary school teacher Dan Hogan said he had worked as a casual at 10 different schools so far this term and it meant he had at greater risk of infection.

But he sees self-isolation as a "luxury".

"It's a little bit insulting that there currently is no plan to pay casual workers [who have time off] because — especially if you work in schools — it's a little bit of emotional blackmail.

"You hear from the authorities, 'do the right thing and self-isolate' but actually, what does that mean?

"What it actually means is that I can't pay the rent, I can't pay the bills."

Primary school teacher Dan Hogan wants sick leave for casuals hit with the coronavirus. ( ABC News )

The Federal Government is expected to sign off on its coronavirus stimulus package within days, with an announcement expected by the end of the week.

Tax breaks, wage incentives and training opportunities have all been floated as possible options to try to keep people in work and avoid a recession.

Mr Woolf would appreciate any extra help if the situation gets worse but is not panicking yet.

"I've got a mate in China, he's actually stuck in Wuhan, so I contrast the situation for people over there and in countries which are more heavily affected by it than what we've got here," he said.

"Obviously, there is the potential for it to develop into something much larger, hopefully not."