Why Choose Gold Coast City?

The Gold Coast has always been an attractive holiday destination. Those from interstate and abroad have flocked here for its beautiful beaches, perfect weather and laidback lifestyle. However, people are now starting to look at the Gold Coast in a new light as it emerges as the perfect place to grow and develop business.

Take a look at some successful Gold Coast businesses - the winners of the Gold Coast Business Excellence Awards 2009.

There are several factors contributing to this development:

Population & Workforce

For several years Gold Coast City has been the fastest growing city in Australia. Now it has truly surpassed other Australian capital cities as the population continues to grow each year by approx. 13 000 – 16 000 people. It is predicted that by 2030 the population will have reached 900 000 residents.

This growth is contributing to a large and diverse workforce. In fact, Gold Coast Citiy’s tertiary qualified workforce has increased by 125% over the last decade. Primarily the Gold Coast was known for its Construction, Property Development and Marine industries, however, the workforce is set to diversify further as the Gold Coast is now home to new medical and dental schools. The Gold Coast is proud of its high employment growth rate at 4.6% per year which is much higher than most state and national averages. Our unemployment average at 2.8% is much lower than the state and national averages.

Business Costs

The Gold Coast is proving itself to be better for business due to its low business costs:

  • Low purchasing and leasing costs for industrial land
  • Low office rental costs
  • Lower average wage compared to Sydney and Melbourne
  • Lower shipping costs out of the Port of Brisbane
  • Lower fuel costs
  • Lowest payroll tax rate of all Australian states and territories.

Location

The Gold Coast City has always boasted prime positioning as it nestles in between the beach and the Hinterland. Its position is also fantastic for business as it has the Gold Coast Airport close by which operates as a domestic and international airport as well as a full international customs port. We are also located close to the Port of Brisbane and to the Brisbane Domestic and International Airport. The Gold Coast is connected to other major cities by the Pacific Motorway.

Southport has long been the Central Business District of the Gold Coast. However, as Gold Coast City continues to grow we are seeing other CBD’s pop up like Coolangatta in the South and Yatala to the North. Robina has also undergone rapid growth over the last decade to emerge as another pop CBD.

Lifestyle

It has always been a bit of a joke that Gold Coast businessmen don’t wear suits to work.. they wear Hawaiian shirts. But maybe they’ve had the right idea all along?

Gold Coast residents enjoy a high standard of living in a city which is vastly more cost effective to live in than any other major Australian city. Combine these facts with pristine beaches and waterways, bustling nightlife and restaurants, shopping districts, casino, conference centre and many other facilities it is no wonder that people want to do business here.