Parramatta is packed with IT professionals, Lakemba has loads of taxi drivers, Epping is where accountants assemble, Mosman has a lot of legal eagles, Castle Hill is home to school principals, Bondi Beach is a hub for models – and plastic surgeons. Stereotyping, much? Not exactly. We’re referencing "occupation by suburb" statistics from the latest Census, as recently broken down by the SMH.
The Sydney workforce has now climbed to almost three million people across its 562 suburbs. The most common job by sheer volume is the sales assistant – we have 89,000 of them in Greater Sydney, with Blacktown alone home to 932 of them. The second most popular occupation is general clerks (49,000) and, again, Blacktown is where a huge portion of them live. Coming in third is accountants (44,000), a big portion of whom reside in Epping.
It won't come as a surprise that suburbs with water views – e.g. Vaucluse, Mosman, Hunters Hill – have more CEOs than anywhere else. Mosman has 471 lawyers and a dozen judges among their working elite. It's also a hot spot for management consultants, HR managers and financial advisors. Lawyers also dwell across inner Sydney, with a strong presence in other waterside areas like Woolloomooloo and McMahons Point. Newtown and Stanmore also have a smattering of legal professionals due to the gentrification of these once-working class suburbs.
In less obvious news, medical professionals like to settle down in Strathfield; it's home to big portions of GPs, cardiologists, anaesthetists, dentists, pharmacists and optometrists. Creative types move into Marrickville, which is home to heaps of authors, musos, designers, sculptors – and also a smattering of people in politics. Surry Hills has its fair share of architects and fashion designers; and Mascot has the monopoly over baristas (who knew?).
Academics tend to congregate near universities, with Kensington (home to UNSW) leading for university professors, and nearby Randwick topping the list for lecturers. The suburbs around Sydney Uni and UTS also have a high concentration of lecturers, especially Glebe and Newtown.
Sales and marketing managers are spread out over 47 suburbs, particularly in the inner south and lower Northern Beaches. While Bondi Beach boasts the highest concentration of models and plastic surgeons.
In Sydney’s northwest, Castle Hill boasts the highest number of real estate agents compared to any other suburb. It’s also where you’ll find the most school principals (74 in this one spot!), while Baulkham Hills leads when it comes to primary and secondary teachers. Down south, pilots and flight attendants tend to land in Cronulla, while aircraft refuellers call Kirrawee home.
Parramatta has become a techie hub, attracting IT professionals like software engineers, programmers and developers. Then back to Blacktown, which is a logistics hotspot – with the highest numbers of truck drivers, couriers and warehouse workers. Its workforce also leads the way in aged care, childcare and nursing roles. Bankstown is home to the most beauty therapists; Glenmore Park has the most police officers and tradies; Cabramatta has the most tailors; Warwick Farm is where you'll find most horse trainers – while Randwick is the place for bookmakers.
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