MCU14/0106 Appendix J - Retail Needs Assessment

8.5              EMPLOYMENT IMPACTS
As would be expected, the proposed development would have a positive impact on employment levels,
both locally and in the broader economy. The employment effects assessed in this report include full-
time, part-time and casual staff employed in the expanded centre, as well as the employment created
during the construction phase. Both of these employment drivers will also have indirect effects, referred
to as multiplier effects.

As discussed previously, the proposed development includes an additional 22,870 sq.m of floorspace, as
shown in Table 2.2.

The employment generated by the range of uses in the expanded centre will vary according to each use.
Based on the composition of new floorspace, it is estimated that the development would generate
ongoing employment of around 940 full-time and part-time workers. This compares with the current level
of employment within the centre of 952 jobs, including permanent, part time and casual positions.
Although unlikely, it is possible that some of these positions will be derived from reductions in
employment elsewhere, including within the Noosa region. In view of this, it could be argued that the net
direct employment impact of the proposal will be lower. If it is assumed that 15% of the new positions will
be transferred from existing local employers, the net direct employment impact would be in the order of
800 positions.


Direct Employment Impact of Retail Expansion, 2018
NOOSA CIVIC EXPANSION                                                                                     TABLE 8.7


                                           Employment           Centre Expansion
                                           Per '000 Sq.m           Additional
Type                                          Industry         GLA        Employment
of Use                                        Average         (Sq.m)       (Persons)
DDS(s)                                          23.5            5,400             127
Supermarket(s)                                  40.8            5,550             226
Mini-Majors                                     23.5            3,260              77
Specialty Shops                                 60.7            7,770             472
Gym/Multi-Use Area                              40.0              890              36
Total Property                                                 22,870             937

Less employment redirected from other locations (15%)                             797
Source : Urbis




In addition to the additional direct employment generated from the ongoing operation of the expanded
centre, there are multiplier effects felt throughout the local, state and national economies. These
multiplier effects are a result of increased demand for materials, services and products from a whole
range of suppliers, as a result of increased consumption generated by the wages of new employees. In
economic terms, it represents the absorption of excess supply in other parts of the economy driven by an
increase in aggregate demand in the retail industry.

Indirect employment impacts are measured using employment multipliers derived from the Australian
National Accounts Input-Output tables. When interpreting these multipliers, a number of factors need to
be kept in mind:

     The multipliers reflect how the economy was structured at the time of the Input-Output analysis for the
      National Accounts. Since then, the structure of the economy has undoubtedly changed, and the
      actual impacts are likely to have changed.

     The multipliers are based on a static view of the economy, and do not consider price changes driven
      by changes in demand. This means that results from Input-Output multiplier analysis are likely to
      represent the upper bound of employment impacts.




122       ASSESSMENT OF ECONOMIC IMPACTS
                                                                                                                        URBIS
                                                                 NOOSA CIVIC - RETAIL NEEDS ASSESSMENT DEC 2014 MASTER - FINAL