FACTBase 47 - The Attraction of Perth and Peel Centres for Global Firms and Local Commuters

This FACTBase unpacks the industry and employment attractiveness of these centres by examining the geographical distribution of economic activities at the Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2) spatial scale. This is shown in Figure 1. It compares two data sets. First, the headquarters and branch office locations of some of Australia’s largest and most
globally-oriented firms – those listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). While it is recognised that this does not capture all firms, specifically non-listed businesses, it nevertheless offers valuable insights into decision-making outcomes of Australia’s largest enterprises. Second, commuter destinations are disaggregated by industry of employment from the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) 2011 Census of Population and Housing. This provides insight into the strategic attraction of centres to a globally-oriented set of firms alongside local commuter patterns, highlighting their capacity to attract employment and industry opportunities away from Perth city’s core.