Born and raised a 'Westie', I've lived in the Western Sydney area all of my life and have observed it grow and change both professionally and personally over the past 40 years and find its development to be fascinating.

The number of corporate businesses active (and relocating) into the area has increased dramatically. Infrastructure and services are being developed rapidly to support the growth of the region as Local, State and Federal government and business leaders invest heavily in it. This undoubtedly cements the crucial

role that Western Sydney plays in Sydney's overall economic future.

When I first started recruiting in the West over 20 years ago, most of the large corporate businesses and big accounting firms were based in the CBD. To secure a top salary and really progress your corporate career, you needed to work in the CBD or North Sydney, and later Macquarie Park. Driving through Northwest or Southwest Sydney however, past Castle Hill, Blacktown, or Liverpool you would drive through acres of vacant farmland, spotting the iconic Australia's Wonderland theme park as you approached Eastern Creek. In a study by Western Sydney University, it was estimated that nearly 30% of workers (over 200,000 people) were leaving Western Sydney each day which is now changing.

Fast forward to today and the Northwest and Southwest of Sydney have been transformed, with large estates such as The Ponds, Kellyville Ridge, Marsden

Park, and Jordan Springs now home to young families. The lifestyle improvements are vast with plenty of new amenities, entertainment, and facilities

constructed every year. There is a buzzing metropolis across many parts of Western Sydney with cafes, restaurants, shops, museums, and parks plus a wide

range of healthcare facilities, schools, and other education institutes making it a great place to raise a family at a far more cost-effective level than other parts of Sydney with comparable salaries now being offered.

The Director of the Centre for Western Sydney, Professor Phillip O’Neill comments ''in the early 1970s, when Western Sydney was a manufacturing powerhouse, just over 2,000 people had degrees in Parramatta, Blacktown and Fairfield local government areas. By 2016 there were 380,000 degree holders in the region, which represents nearly 30 per cent of the degree holders in the entire Sydney metropolitan area. So, Western Sydney on its own is a nationally significant pool of professional services labour''.

Businesses have followed the population growth, with impressive new offices and business parks being developed in Riverstone, Norwest Business Park, Parramatta CBD, and Olympic Park to cater to the expanding workforce. The growing population and the increase in skilled workers have intensified the need for businesses to provide an opportunity for Western Sydney workers to propel their careers closer to home. According to Business Western Sydney's 'Closer to Talent' report, there has been a 27% increase in Western Sydney's skilled workforce, equating to an additional 40,000 workers.

Parramatta CBD is already the fifth largest office market in Greater Sydney after Sydney CBD, Macquarie Park, Sydney CBD fringe, and North Sydney. It provides more than 700,000 square metres of office floor space and is poised to be transformed into one of Australia's most important business hubs. It's predicted that there will be 2.7 million working-aged residents (growing by 800,000 workers) by 2041 and combined with changing work patterns post-covid-19, the opportunity for genuine career development is, and will continue to indeed be plentiful.

Manufacturing has long been the mainstay of the Western Sydney economy, but this is no longer the case. Substantial growth has been seen across other industries such as construction, healthcare, transport, and warehousing. In addition, the growth and opportunity across the public sector have increased dramatically with over 4000 public service roles now located in Parramatta alone. The diversity of businesses is ever-increasing as the economy transitions, presenting a multitude of job and career opportunities for residents. Not only has the diversity of opportunity expanded, but I am also certainly witnessing highly competitive salaries for skilled workers more so than ever before in Western Sydney.

Greater Parramatta has a target of 55,000 new jobs by 2036 as outlined in the Greater Cities Commission planning report. The new Parramatta Light Rail and Sydney Metro West will provide even better access to the area, with plans to extend further in the future. Plus, the new full service (and curfew-free) Western Sydney Airport at Badgerys Creek is also set to boost the economy, and is on track to be in full operation by 2026. Thousands of jobs and opportunities for local businesses will be created. The airport is expected to support almost 28,000 direct and indirect jobs by 2031, five years after the airport opens.

The re-development of the Westmead hospital precinct is also underway, which will see it become a world-class health and education hub. The $2 billion dollar project will include a new state-of-the-art hospital, research facilities, and a new medical school. All these developments are providing opportunities for businesses to grow and expand in Western Sydney and create more jobs for the local community.

So, if you're thinking about making the move to Western Sydney or are a Western Sydney resident sick of your commute there has never been a better time to explore career opportunities. With a growing economy, growing population, and an increasingly skilled workforce, and continued investment, the region offers

everything and more.

We couldn’t be happier to be working in this space and witnessing the areas so close to our hearts experience increased development and growth. I'm also happy to announce our own office move to the newly redeveloped Parramatta Square precinct next month and can't wait to host a number of events at the

Business Western Sydney Centre over the next 12 months and beyond.

I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in store for Western Sydney (and West Recruitment) over the next 20 years!

#workingwithwest #growthofwesternsydney #careersclosetohome