If you’ve ever lived or worked in Ballina you know it’s a quirky place. Full of scooters, perhaps because it’s flat CBD is so well suited to it’s elderly population. But as you eat your sandwich on a bench by the river, you do watch the workers going about their business. There is a large family and professional community as well.
But is it a good place to run a business? We opened our web design offices there, but working in Ballina is inconsequential for us. Our customers are across Australia. I was looking through the ABS data from 2006 to 2010 and some interesting things stood out to me :
- The average wage is about 37k and has been growing steadily over the years.
- The number of people claiming a pension is growing
- The number of people claiming family benefits is decreasing
- Professionals and Clerical workers are the most common jobs
- There are about 1000 more females than males (My hypothesis – woman live longer)
- Average income for a small business is a disappointing $15k
Overall the stats show a grim picture for trades and small businesses, although the region as a whole (including Byron and Lismore) may help sustain such businesses. The stats certainly do paint a sleepy-town, ageing population without much organic growth (birth rates) and a decline in youth and family retention.
It’s geography of course, is unique, but is it enough to turn around Ballina’s economy in the face of a recessive population and a newly re-routed highway?
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