3240.0 - Residential and Workplace Mobility, and Implications for Travel: NSW and Vic., October 2008 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 19/05/2009  First Issue
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Image: Waratah flower. NEW SOUTH WALES

Introduction
Overview
People who changed their usual residence in the last three years
Movers from interstate/overseas
18-24 year old movers in full-time education
People who changed their current suburb of employment in the last three years
People who did not change their usual residence in the last three years


INTRODUCTION

This publication summarises results from the 2008 State Supplementary Survey - Residential and Workplace Mobility, and Implications for Travel. The survey was conducted during October 2008 throughout New South Wales (NSW). The survey measured the demographic characteristics of movers and non-movers; the reasons why people changed their usual residence; the reasons why people changed their current suburb of employment; and the modes of transport typically used to travel to the current suburb of employment.

The reference period mentioned throughout this commentary is the three years prior to October 2008 and scope of the survey only includes people aged 18 years and over.

The geographic area of 'suburb' mentioned throughout this article refers to both a suburb in urban areas and a locality in rural areas.


OVERVIEW

Of the 5.3 million people aged 18 years and over living in NSW, 1.6 million people had changed their usual residence, or moved, during the reference period. In comparison, 3.7 million people did not move.

The graph below shows that the proportion of movers in NSW decreased with age. The 18 to 34 years age group was the most mobile and accounted for 53% of all people who moved. In comparison, 12% of all people who moved were aged 55 years and over.

MOVERS(a) and NON-MOVERS, By age(b), NSW

Graph: MOVERS(a) and NON-MOVERS, By age(b), NSW


In NSW, 44% of movers belonged to a household where one of the usual residents was an owner (with or without a mortgage), whereas 56% belonged to a household that rented the dwelling.

In NSW three in five people (59%) moved to a separate house and over a quarter (28%) moved to a flat/unit/apartment.

Across NSW, 3.3 million people were employed, 154,400 were unemployed and 1.8 million were not in the labour force. Of the 3.3 million employed people in NSW, a small proportion worked from home (7.8%)(a) or worked without a fixed location (6.7%)(a).

In NSW 805,300 employed people who travelled to a fixed location of work, changed their current suburb of employment during the reference period. The main reasons given for the move were job related, which were reported by 86% of these people. Job related reasons included the choice being based on the job only, being transferred by the employer, and both the type of work available and/or the availability of jobs in that suburb. In comparison, only 15% reported transport related reasons. Transport related reasons include being close to home or close to public transport.

Of the employed movers in Sydney Major Statistical Region ('Sydney'), 57% drove a motor vehicle, and 19% took the train, for at least part of a typical journey to their current suburb of employment.
PEOPLE WHO CHANGED THEIR USUAL RESIDENCE IN THE LAST THREE YEARS

In October 2008, 1.6 million people in NSW aged 18 years or over had changed their usual residence in the previous three years. Of these people, 59%(b) moved to a different suburb, 29%(b) relocated within the same suburb and 12%(b) moved from interstate or overseas.

Household type

In NSW, people living as part of a couple with children household accounted for over a third of movers (36%). This type of mover had most commonly moved to their usual residence to live near family and friends (23%). Over a fifth of people who had moved were living as part of a couple only household (22%). These movers were most likely to have moved to their area for lifestyle reasons (28%).

Tenure type

The majority of movers in NSW lived in a dwelling that was being rented (56%). Their most common reason for choosing to move to their usual residence was better access to or prospect of work (25%). People who belonged to a household where one of the usual residents was an owner (with or without a mortgage) most frequently reported living near family and/or friends as a reason for moving residence (24%).

Reasons for moving

The most common reasons given by all movers in NSW for moving to their usual residence were living near family and/or friends (24%), better access to or prospect of work (22%) and lifestyle reasons (19%).

MOVERS(a), By all reasons(b), NSW

Graph: MOVERS(a), By all reasons(b), NSW


For employed movers living in Sydney who usually travel to one specific suburb for work, the most common motivators for moving to their usual residence were better access to or prospect of work (22%), lifestyle (21%) and cost (19%).

Proximity to work

Accessibility reasons were also the most commonly reported reasons for all employed movers, regardless of the proximity to their current suburb of employment. In NSW, 40% of employed movers that live within a radius of less than 5 kilometres (km) from their current suburb of employment expressed better access to or prospect of work as a reason for moving to their usual residence whereas public transport was a reason for only 6%. Of the employed movers living within a 20 to 50 km radius from their current suburb of employment, 19% cited better access to or prospect of work as a reason for moving.

In NSW, housing costs became a more prominent reason for moving as distance between current suburb of employment and usual residence increased. Of those who lived within a 5 km radius of their current suburb of employment, 10% reported housing costs as a reason for moving to the usual residence. This compared to nearly a quarter (24%) of employed movers who lived within a 10 to 20 km radius from their current suburb of employment.

In Sydney, for employed movers who usually travel to one specific suburb for work, 21%(c) lived within a 5 km radius from their current suburb of employment. For these people, better access to or prospect of work was a commonly reported reason for moving to their usual residence (33%). Of movers who usually travel to one specific suburb for work, 11%(c) live within a 20 to 50 km radius from their current suburb of employment, living close to family and friends (26%) and housing costs (25%) were given as reasons for moving.

Mode of transport typically used

The majority of movers in Sydney who travelled to work at a fixed location typically drove a motor vehicle at least part of their journey to work (57%). The most common reasons given for moving were housing costs and lifestyle reasons (both 21%) and living close to family and/or friends (20%). In contrast, 19% of movers typically used a train for at least part of their journey to work. Housing costs (25%) and public transport (23%) were the most common reasons reported by these people for moving usual residence.

Reasons given by employed movers for choosing to move to their usual residence differed with the modes of transport typically used to travel to their current suburb of employment. Nearly half (47%) of employed movers who rode a bicycle or walked the entire trip to their current suburb of employment chose better access to or prospect of work as a reason for moving. One in five (20%) of those who rode a bicycle or walked the entire trip selected lifestyle as a reason for moving to their usual residence.

Closeness to public transport (23%) was amongst frequently reported reasons for moving by employed movers in Sydney who typically caught a train to their current suburb of employment. Only 5% of employed movers who drove a motor vehicle to their current suburb of employment, chose public transport as a reason for moving in the last three years.

Proximity and mode

Regardless of the distance to their current suburb of employment, the majority of employed movers in Sydney drove a motor vehicle (57%) to their current suburb of employment, including 41% living within a 5 km radius and 70% living within a 20 to 50 km radius. This was followed by travel by train (19%) and bus (16%) as the main modes of transport.

Where movers lived within a 5 km radius from their suburb of employment, a bicycle or walking the entire trip (29%) was the second most commonly reported mode followed by buses (19%). Train (35%) and other transport (9%) were the next most common modes of transport after driving, for movers who lived within a 20 to 50 km radius of their suburb of employment.
MOVERS FROM INTERSTATE/OVERSEAS

Of the 3.3 million living in Sydney, 118,000 people had moved from interstate or overseas during the reference period. Of these people, 23%(d) moved from interstate and 77%(d) moved from overseas to Sydney.

The majority of people who moved from interstate or overseas were living as part of a household that was renting (74%) and most lived in a flat, unit or apartment (71%) in Sydney.

More than half (57%) of movers from interstate or overseas reported a reason relating to accessibility, including a desire to live near family and friends or accessibility to some sort of service, as their main reason for choosing to move to their current area in Sydney. Over a quarter (28%) gave a housing-related reason and around one-tenth (11%) reported better access to or prospect of work as their main reason for choosing to move to their current area in Sydney.
18-24 YEAR OLD MOVERS IN FULL-TIME EDUCATION

In NSW, 95,000 people aged 18-24 years were attending full-time education and had moved usual residence during the reference period. Of these, 71% moved to their usual residence due to accessibility reasons and 28% moved for housing reasons. Housing reasons include cost or where the person moved in with or rented/purchased from family/friends.

MOVERS(a) AGED 18—24 YEARS ATTENDING FULL-TIME EDUCATION, By reasons for moving, Sydney MSR and NSW

Graph: MOVERS(a) AGED 18-24 YEARS ATTENDING FULL-TIME EDUCATION, By reasons for moving, Sydney MSR and NSW


Of the full-time students who moved in Sydney, 34% reported moving to be close to school or university.

PEOPLE WHO CHANGED THEIR CURRENT SUBURB OF EMPLOYMENT IN THE LAST THREE YEARS

In NSW 805,300 employed people who travelled to a fixed location of work, changed their current suburb of employment during the reference period. These employed people had either changed their current suburb of employment, or had previously worked from home or without a fixed location, during the reference period.

Household type

Of those employed people in NSW who changed their current suburb of employment, 45%(e) lived within couples with children households.

Reasons for changing current suburb of employment

For all people in NSW, regardless of household type, job related reasons (86%) were more frequently reported than transport related reasons (15%) for moving their current suburb of employment.

The number of employed people in NSW who changed their current suburb of employment was greater in Sydney (566,000) than in the Balance of NSW (240,000). Job related reasons were most often cited as a factor in choosing the current suburb of employment in Sydney and in the Balance of NSW (both 86%). In comparison, transport related reasons were less likely to be given as a reason by people for choosing their current suburb of employment in Sydney (15%) and in the Balance of NSW (14%).

Job related reasons were predominantly chosen regardless of proximity of usual residence to current suburb of employment.

Proximity to work

Of the 805,300 people in NSW who changed their current suburb of employment in the last three years, 25%(f) lived within a 5 km radius, 22%(f) lived within a 5 to 10 km radius, 25%(f) lived within a 10 to 20 km radius, 19%(f) lived within a 20 to 50 km radius and 4%(f) lived more than 50 km from their current suburb of employment.

Of the 565,700 people who lived in Sydney and changed their suburb of employment, the majority (79%)(f) lived within a 20 km radius of their current suburb of employment and a quarter (25%) lived within a 5 km radius.

For the Balance of NSW, 27%(f) of people who had changed their current suburb of employment lived within a 5 km radius of their current suburb of employment. Over a quarter of these people (27%)(f) cited transport related reasons for their choice.

In NSW, 72% of those living within a 5 km radius, 85% of those living within a 5 to 10 km radius and 96% of those living within 20 to 50 km radius from their current suburb of employment provided job related reasons for changing their current suburb of employment. The proportion of those who chose transport reasons decreased as distance between their usual residence and their current suburb of employment increased. Specifically, 31% of people living within a 5 km radius and only 10% living within 10 to 20 km radius of their workplace gave transport related reasons for changing their current suburb of employment.

Mode of transport typically used

In NSW, 73%(f) of people who changed their current suburb of employment typically drove a motor vehicle for at least part of their journey to work. Similarly, a majority of people who changed their current suburb of employment in Sydney and Balance of NSW typically drove a motor vehicle to their current suburb of employment (68%(f) and 86%(f) respectively). The second most commonly used mode of transport, among those who had changed their current suburb of employment, was a train in both Sydney (19%)(f) and NSW (14%)(f). However, for Balance of NSW, a bicycle or walking the entire trip to their current suburb of employment was the second highest form of transport used (7.2%)(f).

Job related reasons were most common for changing current suburb of employment. This is despite differences in the mode of transport people typically used to travel to work. In NSW 93% of those who caught a train at least part of the journey to work changed their current suburb of employment for job related reasons.

PEOPLE WHO DID NOT CHANGE THEIR USUAL RESIDENCE IN THE LAST THREE YEARS

In NSW, 3.7 million people aged 18 years and over did not change their usual residence during the reference period.

The graph below shows that the proportion of non-movers in NSW and Balance of NSW increased with age. This was not the case in Sydney where 24% of non-movers were aged 18-34 years, 39% were aged 35-54 years and 37% were aged 55 years and over.

NON-MOVERS, By age and region, NSW

Graph: NON-MOVERS, By age and region, NSW


Household type

Non-movers in NSW and Sydney were most likely to be living as part of a couple with children household (42% and 47% respectively). Non-movers living in the Balance of NSW were most likely to be living in either a couple only (36%) or a couple with children (35%) household.

Tenure type

The majority of non-movers in NSW (83%) belonged to a household where one of the usual residents was an owner (with or without a mortgage).

Dwelling structure

The majority of non-movers across NSW lived in a separate house (82%), whereas 11% lived in a flat/unit/apartment and 7% lived in semi-detached, row or terrace house, town house, etc.

Proximity and mode

Regardless of proximity (straight line distance) to their current suburb of employment, the main mode of transport typically used by employed non-movers in Sydney was driving a motor vehicle (74%). Train (16%) and bus (10%) were the next most typically used forms of transport for this journey. Only 6.3% of non-movers in Sydney rode bicycles or walked to their current suburb of employment. The use of bicycles or walking the entire trip decreased as the distance from current suburb of employment increased.

EMPLOYED NON-MOVERS, By proximity of usual residence to current suburb of employment and mode of transport, NSW

Graph: EMPLOYED NON-MOVERS, By proximity of usual residence to current suburb of employment and mode of transport, NSW


Train usage generally became more prevalent as distance to current suburb of employment increased. By comparison, travelling by bus to current suburb of employment decreased as distance from usual residence increased.

(a) See Table 1a and 4a. This proportion is calculated using the column totals.
(b) See Table 5a. This proportion is calculated using the row totals.
(c) See Table 9a. This proportion is calculated using the column totals.
(d) See Table 11a. This proportion is calculated using the row totals.
(e) See Table 16a. This proportion is calculated using the row totals.
(f) See Table 15a. This proportion is calculated using the row totals.