Western Sydney jobs boom: Unemployment lowest in decade

EXCLUSIVE: Unemployment in Western Sydney is at its lowest level for nearly a decade, with almost 50,000 new jobs created in the past year and more to come.

Tony El Wede, Adam Marogy and Ash Ezria pictured at a building site in Carlingford. Data shows unemployment at its lowest level for a decade in Western Sydney. Picture: Richard Dobson

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UNEMPLOYMENT in Western Sydney is at its lowest level for nearly a decade, with almost 50,000 new jobs created in the past year and more to come as construction increases on Badgerys Creek airport and WestConnex motorway.

The city’s west — the engine-room of Australia’s economy — has been revving up nicely over the past 12 months, with 48,000 new jobs added and unemployment dropping to 5.5 per cent, the lowest level since 2008.

Unemployment has been above 7 per cent in ­recent years.

Sydney University will dramatically transform its massive landholdings at the gateway to Badgerys Creek airport, creating either the Silicon Valley of Western Sydney or an entirely new campus to rival its Camperdown headquarters.

Growth is being driven in the construction, healthcare, retail, manufacturing and professional services sectors and aided by a series of major firms opening offices or branches in places such as Parramatta.

Projects such as WestConnex, which is generating around 10,000 jobs, are also playing a key role.

Boosting employment in Sydney’s west was a key part of The Saturday Telegraph’s Project Sydney campaign earlier this year.

“Western Sydney is the powerhouse of the NSW economy and it is charging ahead with our construction and business activity,” NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said.

The growth does not come without concerns however, with house prices in the west, the efficiency of public transport and road congestion raised as major stumbling blocks for workers to deal with.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian and the federal government are set to back a northern rail line out of Badgerys Creek airport up to the western line near St Marys.

House prices in the west has also been raised as a major stumbling block in the drive to attract talented workers from across the country. The efficiency of public transport and roads congestion has also been raised as a worry.

One Western Sydney business leader, who did not want to be named, told the Saturday Telegraph: “There’s talented young people across the state but we need to make sure they’re not just sucked into the CBD.

“We need to make sure they want to come to live and work in Western Sydney and that they have the right qualifications when they get here.”

There are also small pockets of Western Sydney where unemployment remains high, including Blacktown, where the rate is 6.3 per cent. The national rate is 5.6 per cent.

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Youth unemployment is also very high in Blacktown and Parramatta and other parts of the west.

Labor skills spokesman Prue Car said: “A short-term employment sugar hit from a building boom isn’t going to help the young of Western Sydney.

“They are looking at a future where one in ten of them are unemployed, apprenticeships are in free fall and thousands fewer are enrolled in TAFE because of course cuts and fee hikes.

“I’d advise Dom Perrottet from doing a lap of honour yet.”

Western Sydney Business Chamber boss David Borger said: “I think this is a boom time at the moment.

“We’re finding companies can’t find space to get into Parramatta and other companies are really struggling to get building workers around Western Sydney – these are good problems to have.”