Central Coast weighs next moves on jobs and growth

The Central Coast recorded a gross regional product of $19.79 billion in 2023, supported by a population between 348,930 and 351,934 residents. Health Care and Social Assistance employed 27,661 people that year, ahead of Construction at 15,870 workers and Retail Trade at 14,683.

Employment base shapes choices

Those three sectors together account for the largest share of the regional workforce. The June 2022 quarter unemployment rate of 3.6 per cent marked the lowest figure since 2010, and 70.1 per cent of workers held jobs inside the region in 2021. Median personal income stood at $49,022, below Greater Sydney yet in line with other parts of regional New South Wales and showing steady gains in recent years.

Agriculture added more than $161 million in gross value, with poultry meat production making up 63.3 per cent of that total and supporting more than 1,150 jobs. These figures come from the Central Coast Council economic dashboard and the DPI NSW Central Coast Snapshot, which local planners use when setting priorities for land use and industry support.

Decisions ahead for council and agencies

Council staff and state agencies now face choices on how to maintain the employment base in health care and construction while lifting median incomes further. The data in the iPART socio-economic review and the Regional Development Australia Central Coast snapshot point to continued focus on local job retention, already at 70.1 per cent in 2021.

Officials will examine whether additional training pathways in the dominant sectors and targeted support for poultry operations can sustain the current GRP level. The evidence already in hand from the 2023 dashboard and the 2022 unemployment quarter gives them a clear baseline for those assessments.