Permanent employees in the North East look set to keep their jobs, even if they do have to fulfil other roles in the short term, but casuals are among those out of work.

Wodonga Council chief executive Mark Dixon said while no full-time or part-time employees had been stood down, the organisation has put a hold on the recruitment for vacant positions and is reviewing all short-term contracts.

"There is no denying there has been an impact on our casual workforce," he said.

"We are focused on providing meaningful work for all staff across the organisation as well as exploring redeployment opportunities, particularly into areas that are facing an increase in activity, and planning for contingencies to support any staff unavailability due to sickness."

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While staff based in the office are working from home and public venues usually staffed by council employees have closed, the essential services still going include public health inspections, waste collection and support for construction activity.

"It's too early to estimate an overall loss of revenue, but we are preparing for this loss in our budget planning for next year, while also being cognisant of the need to demonstrate fiscal responsibility and empathy with our community with regards to next year's rates," Mr Dixon said.

"We continue to look to the federal and state governments for support for the local government sector, which has so far not been included in the eligibility criteria for many of the assistance schemes, to not only support us in easing the financial burden for our communities but also to provide surety for our staff, who are also members of our community, have families, and face the same pressures as many of those in our communities are presently facing.

"We agree with the Premier that the last thing we, as a local employer in this community, want to do is add to the number of people who have lost their jobs, as this will add to the economic burden already being felt across our region.

"We are also cognisant of providing a continued and efficient service for our community in line with what they would expect from us."

Wangaratta Council has also stopped offering shifts to casual workers, but redeployed permanent staff into other roles.

"Staff who work in facilities that have been closed have been allocated alternate duties or redeployed, or they have taken a period of leave. While some facilities have temporarily closed, we are experiencing increased demand for essential services and are using our redeployment program to ensure redeployed staff are matched with roles where they can best utilise their skills," a spokesman said.

"We are still modelling the exact amount of impact, but it will be many hundreds of thousands of dollars at the very least, much more is possible depending on how long current conditions prevail."

Indigo and Alpine Council confirmed neither had stood down any permanent staff.

Indigo chief executive Trevor Ierino said the council was trying to find alternate duties for staff affected by the temporary closure of our face to face services, including casuals.

"It's too early to provide a definite figure on lost revenue, but with some of our services, such as the Burke Museum also impacted by the January bushfires, we expect the figure to be significant," he said.

"Unfortunately council staff are not eligible for the newly announced JobKeeper program.

"While we cannot guarantee that we will not have to stand down staff in the future, for now, we are doing all that we can to provide redeployment opportunities and meaningful employment for all our affected staff."

Local Government Minister Adem Somyurek and Jobs Minister Martin Pakula wrote to councils this week advising they must continue to provide critical community functions.

"Councils have a vital role to play in supporting and protecting local communities during these unprecedented times and dismissing or standing down staff is not consistent with that," Mr Somyurek said.

"It is important that councils do their bit by addressing the implications of coronavirus on their operations and continuing to serve their community."