Brisbane and Melbourne Top Work Survey

Australians would prefer to work in Brisbane, on the Gold Coast or in Melbourne rather than in Sydney if they had the choice, a new survey shows. Sydney, despite the glamour of the harbour, its bridge and the Opera House, has a reputation for being too fast-paced, impersonal, cut-throat and expensive, a survey by recruitment firm Talent2 shows.

The survey of 1,327 respondents, and based on the quality of life attainable in Australian cities, found 29 percent would prefer to work in Brisbane or on the Gold Coast, 26.2 percent liked the look of Melbourne, while only 18.2 percent backed Sydney.

The survey also found 64 percent of people would happily take the opportunity to work in another Australian city, if they were given the chance, with 63.5 percent of those from New South Wales happy to leave their home town.

“Thanks to technology and the resource boom, the capital cities outside of New South Wales no longer are considered isolated or remote,” Talent2 general manager Craig Sneesby said.

Other problems plaguing the image of Sydney include widespread reports of poor public transport, pollution and also red tape, he said.

“Because so many Australians can now do the same job no matter where they are located, employers need to consider not just the day-to-day culture to help entice and retain quality staff, but also take into account the greater issue of quality of life when choosing where to set up shop,” Mr Sneesby said.

Hobart (3.6 percent) and Darwin (2.0 percent) were the least favoured places people would want to move to work. Canberra didn’t get a mention.