Wollongong's Economic Landscape

Wollongong is the regional capital of the Illawarra and its central business district is within a one-hour commute of 700,000 working adults.

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Talent pool

Analysis by COPC Inc. found that more than 700,000 working adults live within a one hour commute of Wollongong CBD. This represents a talented pool of potential employees for any new business looking to establish or relocate to Wollongong.

The city is home to the highly-regarded University of Wollongong, which graduates over 7,500 people each year. Its Wollongong campus hosts around 24,000 students.

Wollongong is also a thriving regional CBD of a large and growing population from other local government areas including Shellharbour, Wollondilly and Sutherland.

More than half (60%) of the total value of economic activity (as measured by Gross Regional Product) in the Illawarra occurs within the Wollongong LGA.

Over the last decade, Wollongong has diversified its economic landscape. Our region has attracted game-changing infrastructure projects and major international brands such as NEC, Mercer, AIE Group and Easy Agile to name a few. These companies identified the opportunities in the Wollongong region that would to help grow their business, and along with other homegrown brands, are shaping the future industry direction here in Wollongong.

Why these sectors?

Within each of our sector-specific pages you will find the reasons why Wollongong is a place of opportunity for companies in these sectors, including those that may be currently based in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or internationally. The details include:

  • Wollongong’s unique capabilities in this sector.
  • Our regions infrastructure to support these sectors.
  • Relevant business networks and clusters within the city.
  • Initiatives or unique strengths of the University of Wollongong in these areas.
  • Case studies of businesses within those sectors who have benefited from their move to Wollongong.

First hand experience

Explore why other businesses and entrepreneurs chose to move their company or base a satellite office in Wollongong – one of the most liveable cities in Australia.

View our case studies

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