Economic Profile

Sutherland Shire is, from the economic viewpoint, a diverse, dynamic, educated, skilled and relatively wealthy community. Economic indicators rank Sutherland above the median for Sydney Local Government Areas (LGAs).

Historically, the Shire has developed into a dormitory suburb for the metropolitan area. Over 65 per cent of the workforce of 105,000 people commute out of the Shire daily for work. Most travel to Sydney CBD and to nearby regional centres. 

The latest data from the 2006 Census has not been released soon, however the 2001 Census indicates that The Sutherland Shire has a population of approximately 220,000 and a land area of 370 square kilometres.

The Sutherland Shire has a diverse economy with no dominant industry sector. There are 30,000 business entities registered in the Sutherland Shire, with close to 10,000 businesses located in the retail, commercial and industrial employment zones, with perhaps another 15,000 home-based businesses including many registered trades, professionals, marketing and other services providers. 

There is a high proportion of Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) owned and operated by an ageing workforce. In regards to the future, Sutherland Shire has a new generation of entrepreneurs providing innovative new business opportunities and employment growth.

Several large employers are located in Sutherland Shire, including ANSTO, Caltex, Toyota, Department of Education, TAFE, Sutherland Hospital and associated facilities and Council.

An examination of official socio-economic and industrial data indicates the Shire’s economy is similar in structure to most other LGAs of large cities, where manufacturing has been in decline and the service sectors on the rise. For Sutherland Shire, the data also indicates a consistently high level of employment and workforce participation rates (particularly for women), and an increasing level of education among Shire residents.

In line with the Sydney regional economy, the Sutherland Shire has also experienced significant growth in the number and proportion of professionals and associate professionals living in the Shire, together with growth in the number of people employed in middle level clerical, sales and service sectors.  The number of people employed in manufacturing has remained relatively steady over the past decade, at around 12,500 jobs. These shifts and changes indicate the scope for entry-level jobs located in Sutherland Shire.

Life long learning is supported in the Sutherland Shire by an extensive distribution of primary schools, 24 high Schools (government and non-government), the St George and Sutherland Community College network, the Gymea and Loftus Colleges of the Sydney Institute of TAFE, and the Loftus Campus of the University of Wollongong.

Business development and practical learning needs are met by our one-stop-shop for business training and development, the Southern Sydney Business Development Centre in the heart of the Shire, at 31 Waratah Road, Kirrawee. This facility houses the St George and Sutherland Business Enterprise Centre (BEC), the Australian Institute of Export (AIEx) tradestart program and a representative from the NSW Department of State and Regional Development.

The Sutherland Shire Hub for Economic Develoment (SSHED) is an education cluster located in the grounds of Loftus TAFE.  It consists of the SSHED business accelerator, a unique facility specialising in growing and developing businesses, and the Loftus campus of the University of Wollongong.

While the Taren Point-Caringbah employment zone continues to be redeveloped and transformed to take advantage of its close proximity to Sydney’s CBD, Airport and Port Botany, the largest undeveloped reserves suitable for industrial or business purposes are on the Kurnell Peninsula or in the Lucas Heights area.  These two areas, with vast tracts of developable employment lands, represent the Shire’s economic future.

Further demograhical information is on our Statistics page.

Important: While all due care has been taken to ensure that the content of this website is accurate and current, there may be errors or omissions in it and no legal responsibility is accepted for the information and opinions in this website.