It’s pretty obvious that the Sunshine Coast is growing rapidly. You can see the physical changes almost daily as you drive around the region and the stats are backing up what we are seeing.

The latest passenger numbers through the Sunshine Coast Airport have just been released and it has recorded its highest ever passenger numbers with over 310,000 passengers flying in and out of the airport in the three months ended February 2018 – an incredible 15% increase on the previous year.

This is great news for the Sunshine Coast. For those of you who love the facts I thought I would focus this article on some hard and fast facts that confirm why you should be investing in the Sunshine Coast.

• The Qld Government forecasts the Sunshine Coast to have the second fastest growth rate of all regions outside the greater Brisbane area between 2011 and 2036.
• We experienced a population growth of 9.3% over the five-year period between 2010 and 2015 – which was higher than the national growth rate of 8.0%
• CCIQ Queensland’s Economic Update – June 2017, noted that the Sunshine Coast was the fastest growing region across Queensland over the last six months, adding 7,500 jobs.
• The Sunshine Coast is the 10th largest significant urban area in Australia by population (.id, 2016)
• We have a strong tourism sector with international visitors increasing by 16% to December 2016 and 15% growth in domestic overnight visitors. There were 9.5 million visitors to the Sunshine Coast in 2016 (Tourism Research Australia, 2017)

Part of the reason we are seeing an increase in jobs is because we have a large number of national business investing here – with some even making us the location of their Head Office. There are a number of reasons for this including the fact that the Sunshine Coast has the land, providing a clean slate, on which to build your own HQ. But most importantly we offer staff a work/life balance you simply cannot get anywhere else in Australia. Our climate is attractive, we have some of the State’s best schools and sporting facilities and to travel from the beach to the hinterland only takes about half an hour.

Attracting talent to the Sunshine Coast is a thing of the past. Word has well and truly gotten out about all we have to offer, and wages are no longer lagging as far behind the city equivalents that they used to be.

Year’s ago, potential employees would decline roles on the Sunshine Coast, believing that their careers would be better served staying in the larger cities. That trend has certainly changed as I now have the same people knocking on my door, seeking a job.

Some of the bigger organisations that have chosen to invest in the Sunshine Coast include Youi Insurance, Westfund, Merlin Entertainment, Ramsay Health, Stellar Asia Pacific, Gourmet Garden, HeliMods, Food Matters, Country Chef and the Melbourne Storm. This is just a handful of household names who now have a presence, or their head office located here, and there are many more on their way.

To be able to cope with the growth we all need a strategy that will allow us to service more customers, provide better services and cater for their needs in ways we have not previously thought of. At the top of the list is the provision of suitable temporary or long-term accommodation as they all need somewhere to live.

The rate at which my developments are being purchased tells me that this demand is stronger than ever, and I do not expect to see this change for some time yet.

If you have been thinking of investing in the Sunshine Coast, there has never been a better time to take the plunge.