The Napthine government risks being swamped by a tide of concern about the outlook for jobs and the state economy as it languishes in a losing position nine months out from the state election.

In a sign the government is failing to gain traction at a critical point in the political cycle, an Age/Nielsen poll has found the Coalition lagging behind Labor 47 per cent to 53 per cent in two-party preferred terms.

The new Age/Nielsen poll.

It follows a barrage of bad news for the state economy, including the looming demise of the vehicle manufacturing industry and deep cuts announced by Alcoa and Qantas.

The poll of 1000 Victorian voters taken during the past week shows the Coalition's primary vote stuck at 41 per cent, well below the peak of 45 per cent achieved at the November 2010 election, with Labor on 37 per cent and the Greens on 13 per cent.