Invest

Newcastle and the Hunter are the economic engine room for NSW. Just a 2hr 20min drive or 40 min flight (Newcastle), 2hr 40min drive or 40 min flight (Port Stephens) from Sydney, the region boasts a highly skilled workforce and excellent connections to major markets via the Pacific Highway, the Sydney-Newcastle railway, Newcastle Airport and Newcastle Airport.

• Globally recognised specialisations in defence and aerospace, energy and resources, health and agribusiness
• Base for NSW Government Renewable Energy Zone with $100 billion registered for potential investment
• 53,000 established businesses including the top global and national companies of Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Orica and The Bloomfield Group
• Rapidly growing advanced manufacturing sector, comprising 2,000 businesses that employ 20,000 people
• Third largest Mining Equipment, Technology and Services (METS) sector in Australia, worth $15 billion
• Deep-water water port that connects business to major national and international markets
• International airport opening in 2024
• Globally ranked research-intensive university with specialisations in engineering, science and health
• Some of the most affordable and attractive industrial land and commercial property available in the state.

Among the most educated in the country, the Newcastle and Hunter 360,000 strong workforce offers unparalleled depth, diversity and scale that accommodates the needs of growing SMEs through to global enterprises.

Highly skilled

• 25% adults holds a bachelor degree qualification or higher
• Largest STEM-qualified workforce in NSW
• Among the highest share of workers in knowledge intensive jobs
• 65% of the STEM-qualified workforce have engineering technology qualifications
• A fast-growing knowledge sector provides expertise through key service industries including education, legal, IT and financial services

Strong pipeline of graduates and skilled workers

• NSW’s largest embedded school-based programs with industry-led workforce skilling excellence
• Over 10,000 undergraduate, postgraduate and research students enrolled in Engineering, Science and Environment annually at the University of Newcastle
• Strong focus on work integrated learning (WIL) across all disciplines, including Engineering
• Our supply of professionals, technicians, trades workers and labourers is at least 3x higher than other major Australian port centres
• The closure of coal mines and coal-fired power stations in the region in coming decades will expand the Hunter’s technical workforce with more than 8,000 people available to pivot into post-mining careers

Research and innovation ecosystem

• Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources (NIER) fosters the transition of industry and workforce from traditional fossil fuels to clean energy
• The University of Newcastle is ranked in the top 200 globally, top 8 in Australia for research, and number 1 for industry collaboration.
• We are also home to Japan’s Nihon University – its only campus in Australia
• The region boasts some 13 TAFE NSW campuses, and many Registered Training Organisation

Talk to our specialist team about how we can support you to establish and grow your business in Newcastle and the Hunter. Our end-to-end support for investors includes:

• Application support for NSW Government grants, and identification and application support for Australian Government grants.
• A dedicated Investment Concierge and Regional Investment Attraction team that works closely with experts across all levels of government and industry networks, and provides customised information for business.
• Referrals to Training Services NSW to develop training and targeted recruitment programs.
• Navigation of government and solution brokering.
• Introduction to industry networks and clusters.

The Government’s $110 million Regional Investment Activation Fund is designed to unlock private sector investment for priority industries or strategically significant locations. Industry grants from $1,000,000 to $10,000,000​ are available.