Census shows central Geelong’s booming growth

CENTRAL Geelong is Australia’s second-fastest growing regional city, according to the latest Census of Land Use and Employment (CLUE) data.

Employment in central Geelong is up 44 per cent from the 2011 CLUE, taking the total of jobs to 30,476.

The industries that offer the most jobs in central Geelong include the health care and social assistance industry (up from 5,987 to 11,782 jobs), public administration and safety (3,599 jobs) and education and training (3,341 jobs).

The changing culture in the city has shown an increase in the number of cafes, restaurants and bistros with a total of 238 recorded in the 2017 census year. The total number of buildings rose from 1,034 to 1,114 and the total number of establishments from 3,281 to 3,550. These increases reflect the large investment in city infrastructure since the 2011 census.

The 2017 Census is a snapshot of data from July to November, collected from businesses and properties in central Geelong bounded by Corio Bay, Latrobe Terrace, McKillop and Bellarine streets.

“The tremendous growth in employment in Central Geelong is reflective of the fact that government and businesses alike are choosing our city for their headquarters,” city acting director of investment and attraction Tim Ellis said.

“The large increase in the number of buildings demonstrates the commitment of government and industry to investment in infrastructure in our city.

“We are pleased that we have such a strong relationship with our local businesses and by working together to provide data we have gained a valuable snapshot that we can all use for effective planning.”