Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games created more than 35,000 roles

SEEK, Australia's number one employment marketplace, has released new data exploring the positive impact on employment generated by the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018), demonstrating that job ad growth in the region has outpaced that in Brisbane and in the State overall. 

SEEK developed the GC2018 Jobs destination to promote the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC) employment opportunities, and this has seen a total of 76,000 applications started with some of the most popular roles including Sport Coordinators, Administration Assistants, Event Management and Village Coordinators.

GOLDOC have hired over 1,500 paid staff to help run the Games, across sectors such as Contract Management, Engineering, Events, Finance, Logistics, Marketing, Program Management, Procurement, Spectator Services, Technology and Transport. 

This boost to the local workforce has helped sustain increased levels of job ad growth in the area in recent years. Since 2012, the year on year growth rate of SEEK new job ads in Gold Coast has outpaced that of Brisbane and Queensland as a whole. Over the past two years this accelerated growth rate has levelled out. 
 
In addition to the applications for paid positions, over 47,000 applications were also received for volunteer roles, demonstrating an enormous level of community engagement with the event. From these applications, 15,000 volunteer positions were offered and accepted, and this dedicated team of volunteer become part of the Games Shapers that will spend one million hours looking after 6,600 athletes and officials, along with over 1 million spectators. The Games Shapers have also undertaken 360,000 hours of training, provided by TAFE Queensland. The majority (more than 90%) of Games Shapers roles are based in the Gold Coast, which is the Host City for the Games.

Kendra Banks, Managing Director SEEK ANZ, comments: “The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games have given thousands of Australians a once in a lifetime opportunity to develop new skills and showcase their passion across a whole range of sectors. The commitment and enthusiasm of the extensive Games Shapers network - both paid and volunteer - is inspiring, and the skills and experience gained through this event will provide tangible and intangible skills which they can use to help build fulfilling long term careers.”

GC2018 has also created significant employment opportunities among contractors with approximately 35,000 people working on delivering the Games. 

Equally, the Games appear to have had a significant and positive impact on unemployment rates in the Gold Coast. In 2011, the region’s unemployment rate was tracking above that of Queensland and Australia as a whole, but as we have moved closer to the event, the Gold Coast’s unemployment rate has fallen substantially below these other regions. 

Figure 1. New Job AD growth YoY 2012 to 2018 in Gold Coast, Brisbane and Queensland overall


INDUSTRIES EXPERIENCING GROWTH IN THE GOLD COAST

With the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games attracting visitors to the Gold Coast from around the world, a number of industries have experienced a boost as they prepare for the event - particularly in Hospitality & Tourism, Logistics and Construction. 

Tourism

A Griffith University report commissioned by the State Government shows that visitors to the Games will directly contribute an estimated $323 million in tourism revenue. Additionally, thanks to the promotion of the Gold Coast and Australia as tourist destinations, it is expected that a further $550m will be generated by tourism between 2012 and 2022. 

This is reflected in the strong job ad growth in the Gold Coast’s Hospitality & Tourism sector, which has experienced positive growth over the last six years, mirroring the upward trend for the industry across the State. In February 2018, tourism-related jobs in the Gold Coast saw a 10% increase when compared to the same time last year. 

Kendra Banks, Managing Director SEEK ANZ comments: “While some tourism jobs will be temporary while the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games are on, these skills are in demand across the country. We have seen a 22% increase in job ads for Hospitality & Tourism across Australia when compared to this time last year, so the skills being developed by workers at the Games certainly won’t go to waste once the event is over. Tourism plays a large part in driving GDP in Queensland so there is clear benefit for the local economy long term.” 

Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics

With the Gold Coast preparing for a boost in visitors for several years now, it is no surprise that Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics has also seen an increase in job ads. The year on year growth rate has been positive over the past three years, with the last twelve months seeing an increase of 21% (Feb 17 compared to Feb 18).

Construction, Design & Architecture 

Construction also saw a boost, particularly between 2013 and 2016 as work began on upgrading and building facilities that will host a number of GC2018 events and the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Village. This also reflects a national growth in Construction job ads, which were up 11% in February compared to 12 months ago - again, highlighting that skills in this industry are in demand across Australia. 

Kendra Banks added: “With more than one million people descending on the Gold Coast for the Commonwealth Games, infrastructure was always going to be a major area of investment in the lead up to the event. While the venues were finished some time ago, more than $100 million have been spent on fast-tracked road upgrades in the Gold Coast over the past 12 months, which will have likely impacted job growth significantly.”   

Design & Architecture also experienced an overall increase in job as in recent years, in spite of roles being down 17% in February when compared to this time last year. In contrast, February 2017 saw job ads in Design & Architecture up 64% when compared to February 2016, demonstrating the increased activity as Games venues were completed. 

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About SEEK (ASX:SEK)
 
SEEK’s purpose is to help people live more fulfilling and productive working lives and help organisations succeed. SEEK makes a positive contribution to people’s lives on a global scale. 

SEEK is the global leader in the creation and operation of online employment markets. Globally, SEEK has relationships with over 800,000 hirers and 180 million candidates. 

SEEK makes a positive contribution to people’s lives through connecting more people to relevant job opportunities using its marketplace scale and technology to build radically more efficient and effective employment marketplaces. 

SEEK is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, and has been listed in the Top 20 Most Innovative Companies Globally by Forbes, and Number One in Australia.