Key Frankston Job, employment and population trends (ABS Census 2016)

Local Jobs supply:

Largely due to the success of the Carrum Downs Industrial estate, the City of Frankston has increased its local job base from 28 jobs per 100 residents, in 2011, to 31 jobs per 100 residents in 2016.  

Total Unemployment rate:

Frankston’s total unemployment rate of 6.4% is comparable to the Greater Melbourne average, although this varies significantly across our municipality with some of our worst performing areas being three times higher than Frankston’s headline average.
(Figure 1)

Youth and Senior Unemployment:

It is a different story at either end of the age spectrum. Compared to other parts of Melbourne, our region’s youth (13.9%) and senior (5.1%) unemployment rates are poor. 

Frankston North has one of Victoria’s highest youth unemployment rates (24.7%). One-in-four young Frankston North residents are looking for work.

Young people in Frankston ‘struggle harder’ than most Melbournians to secure their first job.  Frankston workers who experience a ‘career shock’ are also much more vulnerable.  Many over-55 workers in Frankston have difficulty changing roles, retraining and finding new work.

Household income:

Frankston’s average household income is significantly lower than Metropolitan Melbourne’s norm.  Compared with other parts of Melbourne, Frankston’s lack of local industry impedes local wage growth.  

Only 30% of Frankston’s dual parent families with children have a weekly income of greater than $2500 compared with the Metropolitan average of 37%; and only 30% of Frankston’s single parent families with children having a weekly income of greater than $1250 compared with the Metropolitan average of 44%.   

In Frankston North the average household income is the eighth lowest in Victoria at just $776/week.

Employment trends:

The success of the Carrum Downs industrial precinct has shifted local employment trends over the last decade.  Frankston’s employment base grew by 8750 jobs (Source: Plan Melbourne) and now almost 20% more locals now are employed.

Workforce participation trends:

With the exception of our retiree population, Frankston’s thriving local job market has encouraged more people to work, lifting our average workforce participation (Figure 2).

Frankston’s improved employment market has been most transformational for “mothers” (Females aged 30-54yo) who now have a much wider and more diversified range of jobs near where they live.

Population trend:

Having 21^st century businesses on our doorstep has begun to change the type of local employment opportunities available to Frankston residents.  And whilst relative to metropolitan Melbourne, Frankston still has far fewer young people aged 20-35, our decade long industrial boom has meant that Frankston school leavers don’t habitually ‘move away to find work”.

So, where are Frankston’s employment trends heading over the next decade?:

Even before COVID struck, Frankston’s job growth over the next decade was forecast to slow, without a proactive approach to expanding Frankton’s successful high-tech manufacturing sector.