Land Use and Employment Surveys results published

Written By Richard Green

The Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage has recently released the latest Land Use and Employment Survey by Council: https://www.wa.gov.au/system/files/2025-09/city-of-swan-lues-202224-data-north-east-sub-region.xlsx

In summary:

The City of Swan is a regional economic powerhouse with diversified employment, significant industrial strength, maturing commercial centres, and unique tourism and cultural assets.

The dataset shows a municipality that is:

•              Growing economically

•              Diversifying its job base

•              Strengthening industrial and commercial precincts

•              Anchoring key public services for the region

•              Sustaining place-based economies like the Swan Valley

This is the type of evidence base typically used to justify:

•              Continued investment into business and economic development

•              Industrial land protection and expansion

•              Centre revitalisation strategies

•              Tourism and visitor economy support

•              Strategic workforce planning

•              Infrastructure priorities aligned to economic growth

 

In detail:

1. Swan is a major employment engine for the North-East Sub-Region

Across commercial, industrial, public purpose, and recreation sectors, the dataset shows a high and diverse concentration of jobs.
Commercial centres like the Swan Valley, Midland, and Ellenbrook generate thousands of jobs, while industrial precincts such as Malaga, Hazelmere, and Midland’s commercial-industrial areas continue to anchor the region’s workforce.

This reinforces that Swan is not just a residential LGA — it is a regional jobs hub.

2. Employment is deeply diversified across industries

The land-use categories reveal a strong and balanced economic base:

  • Retail plus hospitality clusters in major centres and the Swan Valley

  • Industrial/logistics employment driven by warehousing, workshops, manufacturing, and transport

  • Public purpose employment through education, health, and community services

  • Tourism and recreation employment providing unique local economic value

This diversity supports economic resilience and buffers the City against sector-specific downturns.

3. Industrial land is a key strategic economic asset

Industrial employment and floorspace data illustrate that industrial precincts represent:

  • The largest total floorspace footprint

  • A major share of employment

  • The biggest opportunities for future job growth

The City’s industrial areas are functioning as high-productivity, high-value job engines — a crucial finding for land use planning, investment attraction, and infrastructure prioritisation.

4. Commercial centres show strong service-sector growth and intensification

Commercial employment data (particularly the Swan Valley and Midland) highlight:

  • High proportions of part-time work in hospitality, retail, and entertainment

  • Significant full-time employment in office, health, and professional services

  • Indicators of centre maturity and economic intensification (e.g., Midland’s health and education cluster emerging, commercial floorspace diversity increasing)

This tells a story of centres evolving from retail-dominant to service-dominant, consistent with metropolitan planning trends.

 

5. Public purpose facilities anchor community services and workforce access

Education, health, government, and emergency services are shown to be:

  • Major employment hubs

  • Critical sources of stable, full-time jobs

  • Strategically located across the LGA to service communities

This reinforces that Swan’s public-purpose infrastructure underpins social and economic wellbeing.

 

6. The Swan Valley remains a unique economic contributor

Even within the commercial dataset alone, the Swan Valley stands out through:

  • High employment in entertainment, culture, hospitality, and tourism

  • Significant supporting floorspace

  • A unique mix not replicated elsewhere in the LGA or broader sub-region

The Valley’s profile supports ongoing investment into tourism, marketing, and destination management.

7. Recreation and open space facilities provide employment but more importantly community value

While not high-employment sectors, these assets:

  • Support liveability

  • Enable events, sports, and cultural activity

  • Complement the Swan Valley and broader tourism offerings

Their floorspace footprint demonstrates a significant community infrastructure network.

Richard Green
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