The lure of the Hunter: a business + recruiting opportunity

Blog
Tuesday 22nd October 2024

The lure of the Hunter: a business + recruiting opportunity

Blog
Tuesday 22nd October 2024
Written by Kellie Wright

Here at Maxim, we count ourselves very lucky to be located right in the heart of Newcastle CBD. 

We’re a stone’s throw from top-notch dining and bars, art galleries, cafes, parks and prime beaches. We’ve even got views of the ocean from our office. Plus, we have the Hunter Valley wineries in easy reach. 

But it’s not just about amenities. Newcastle and our wider region is a great place to do business. There are so many diverse industries, and so many opportunities. 

One of these opportunities is expansion through winning contracts and attracting investments and partnerships. Another is taking advantage of the fantastic lure of where we live to attract skilled professionals from out of town to your business. 

Employees are looking for location

According to a recent study by Gartner (2024), location and work-life balance are the biggest drivers of employee attraction in Australia. 

This means showcasing Newcastle and the Hunter region as a great place to live and work might just help position you as an employer of choice. 

Sydney is losing it’s attraction for many. Despite being a beautiful city, the cost of living, traffic, a poor work-life balance and lack of a feeling of community are driving people to seek greener pastures elsewhere, and our region ticks the boxes. 

While once upon a time, the job opportunities here may have been fewer, today, industry and business are thriving. And the lifestyle here can’t be beaten. 

So when you’re trying to attract new talent, make sure you’re selling location, location, location!

Attract skilled talent with OOTS - A Region ready    

To make promoting where we live easier, whether you’re attracting skilled professionals or seeking business opportunities, our friends at Out of the Square (OOTS) have created an initiative called ‘Region Ready’ that’s doing just that.

The initiative includes a dedicated ‘Region Ready’ website and a downloadable video that not only shows the beautiful scenery and cityscapes of Newcastle and the Hunter but also offers some great stats on our region and how business and industry are booming. 

Anyone is free to use it on their website or any business, promotional or recruitment-based communications, so we recommend you check it out. You can even speak to OOTS about customising the resource to your business. 

Statistics that help sell our region

Interested to know what’s in the video? Here are the facts and statistics about the Hunter region it pulls out:

  • Australia’s largest regional economy
  • $64 billion+ in economic output
  • 787,000+ population
  • 57,000+ businesses 
  • 2 hours to Sydney
  • Extensive road and rail connections
  • International airport
  • Largest east coast port – $48 billion in annual trade, multipurpose terminal 300,000+ PA container potential, clean energy precinct creating 5,800 jobs
  • Newcastle Airport 2025 International Terminal – 250m precinct development, long haul international flights and freight, $12.7 billion+ economic benefit 
  • Health and social services – Employing 63,000+, 510 active clinical trials underway, $835 million John Hunter Hospital and Children’s Hospital, Health and Innovation Precinct, 1,600+ world-class researchers, $500m redeveloped Maitland Hospital 
  • Education – University of Newcastle (top 200 globally), 95% of research at or above world standard, 13 new TAFE campuses, Japan’s NIHON University’s only Australian campus 
  • Manufacturing – Employing 20,000+ people, contributing $3 billion to the economy, 2,000+ advanced manufacturing businesses. 
  • Energy – Producing 40%+ of the state’s energy, employing 2,000+, innovative sustainable energy technologies, proposed Hunter Valley Hydrogen Hub, $1.3 billion hunter power project, 10,000+ direct mining jobs, 
  • Defence and aerospace – Injects $1 billion+ annually into the economy, 5,000+ employed at NSW’s largest air force base, Australia’s primary industry aerospace district, Astra Aerolab - defence, aerospace and innovation precinct, Williamtown Aerospace Centre.
  • Tourism – $12 million+ visitors per year (pre-covid), multiple 5-star hotels,150+ wineries, Australia’s oldest region, world-class hospitality and dining, extensive range of activities, diverse natural beauty 

When you lay it all out like this, it really makes us proud to call this place home. 

Lure in talent and opportunities

If you’re looking to expand or attract top talent, make sure you’re taking advantage of OOTS' fantastic resources and these figures, putting your location front and centre and highlighting what our city and region has to offer. We certainly will be!

If you want to explore current potential opportunities for your business, contact your Maxim advisor or reach out to our team