Four reasons to advance your career in Cairns
People can make a real mark in their industry and their community in Cairns. Here are four reasons why.
ONE: An active and collaborative business community
The business community in Cairns is strong and supportive. The Cairns Chamber of Commerce and the Cairns Business Women’s Club, for example, work hard to improve the economic success of our region.
Cairns is home to more than 14,000 businesses employing 82,000 people with a gross regional product of $9.6 billion. Employment opportunities within construction and healthcare continue to outperform the state average. Employment figures also show strength in education and training, professional, scientific and technical services, and financial services.
TWO: More time and money to play with
Making the leap from a capital city to Cairns is often driven by a desire to escape the rat race and achieve more of a work/life balance. Professionals who are making the move to Cairns quickly discover that opportunities are in abundance, just like our natural surroundings...
You’ll spend less time and money travelling to and from work, for one. Housing is less expensive in Cairns than in the cities. For families, education is less expensive, particularly private schools. Need to rent or buy office space? That’s cheaper too. The median weekly income in the Cairns region is slightly lower than that of capital cities. (In Cairns the median weekly income of people aged 15 and over is $642, compared to Australia-wide figure $662 a week according to the latest ABS Census figures). Other savings and spending balance out the cost of living.
In Cairns, we’re all about quality of life and that means more time doing what you want to do rather than spending your money on things you don’t have to.
THREE: Networking and local support
Networking is more effective in Cairns in comparison to bigger cities; it doesn’t take as long to get to know people. There are certainly fewer than 'six degrees of separation' in Cairns. You only need a few minutes of conversation with a new acquaintance in Cairns to find common ground or mutual friends.
Cairns people are hugely community focused and that extends to businesses too. It is the norm to look for local solutions before going further afield whether that’s employing people who already live here, or purchasing from locally owned and operated businesses.
You can find industry specific networks here. With a healthy range of business luncheons, workshops and events, there is always something going on, so you’ll soon find yourself well connected. Take a look at the business events, workshops and opportunities in Cairns at the moment.
FOUR: A little less competition
Stands to reason, right? You can make a bigger impact in a smaller city. We are big enough in Cairns, however, that our economy, local businesses and locally-based national and international offices are offering well-paid, interesting and senior positions in Cairns across all industry sectors most of the time.
Ours is a place where people settle into a job they love for life (or one they ‘like’ rather than love because they love their lifestyle). But it is also a smaller city where people climbing the career ladder can make their mark. A lot of people who thought they’d spend two or five years in Cairns then move to the big city, end up staying. And some of them do move on as well. The upshot of this movement is that important, interesting, serious, meaningful and senior roles come up regularly in Cairns in all industries... and when you get the job, there will usually be long-term employee nearby who knows the ropes.
Utilising your experience and your new network of Cairns professionals, you’ll be well-positioned for training and promotion opportunities that might not have been so easy to access elsewhere. This means your career growth and impact on the community can be greater, sooner.