Our workforce
Highly educated and multilingual
New South Wales is an ideal location for business development and investment. Why? Because the state leads Australia in the skills that matter: educational qualifications, multiple languages, knowledge workers and research.
It offers businesses a highly skilled and educated workforce, 53% of the working-age population hold tertiary qualifications.
Sydney
Of Sydney's 4.7 million residents, almost one-third were born overseas, making Sydney one of the world's most multicultural cities, where more than 200 languages are spoken. This provides employers with a hugely multilingual candidate base.
Common languages spoken include Chinese languages (mainly Cantonese and Mandarin), Indonesian, Japanese, Korean and Malaysian.
As Australia's financial capital, Sydney is also home to the largest numbers of managers, professionals and technicians supporting its world-class financial, banking, legal and accounting service sectors.
New South Wales
NSW accounts for a significant share of Australia's employment across major industry sectors including:
- Manufacturing
- Information and communications technology (ICT)
- Tourism
- Education
- Creative, arts-related industries
Further, NSW is at the forefront of research and innovation, collaborating on projects with the business community and the Australian Government across sectors as diverse as ICT, biotechnology and renewable energy.
The state hosts a number of world-class research bodies and tertiary institutions in these fields, which will produce the thought leaders in the digital economy and major growth industries of the 21st century.