Almost a third of the Sunshine Coast region’s workers commute to other parts of the State than those who travel to Brisbane to work, according to a research report released today by KPMG Demographics.
The report shows that Brisbane and the Bowen Basin were the top two major destinations for Long Distance Commuters (LDC), while the Surat Basin and North-West Queensland were the fifth and sixth ranked commutes from the Sunshine Coast.
Jointly funded by Sunshine Coast Airport, Sunshine Coast Council and Regional Development Australia (RDA) Sunshine Coast, the report analyzed the LDC workforce demographics of the Sunshine Coast and Wide Bay Burnett areas.
Figures show that the number of LDC workers on the Sunshine Coast has grown by 63% from 2006 to 2011, substantially higher than the national average of 37%. There were 5595 resident LDC workers on the Sunshine Coast in 2011, with 1454 in Wide Bay Burnett South. Fly in/fly out workers were immediately serviced by Sunshine Coast Airport.
RDA Sunshine Coast Chair Prof Max Standage said the report identified the size, demand and changing nature of the region’s workforce, and the impact on future infrastructure requirements such as the Sunshine Coast Airport.
“As highlighted in our Sunshine Coast Regional Roadmap 2013-16, investment in local infrastructure including the Sunshine Coast Airport is one of the top five priorities for the region,” he said.