The millennial “baby blip” is now over
Whenever we’re talking about the big-picture demographic story in Australia, the graph below showing a millennial ‘baby blip’ will usually make an appearance. Now, Glenn writes, we can say the baby blip is over. We’ve been talking for a...
It’s 2019! Is Census data outdated?
About this time each Census cycle we sometimes get the question ‘Isn’t the data from the last Census a bit outdated?’. In this piece, we discuss why – in Census terms – 2016 isn’t long ago (and why that’s...
Australia to hit 30 million by 2029…or maybe 2033
Glenn unpacks the most recent population projections from the ABS, explaining how projections are different to forecasts, and why there is a role for both in planning.
ABS to remove ‘number of cars’ from 2021 Census (and other topic changes)
The ABS will be removing the ‘number of motor vehicles’ topic from the 2021 Census, along with a number of other changes that will be significant to people in the local government sector, including some...
How population forecasting influences democracy in Australia
With the Victorian State election happening this weekend, our lead forecaster explains why good local population forecasts are critical to ensuring the voices of each person in the electorate are fairly...
How to avoid an overcount of 8,708 jobs
Most Local Government Areas show an increase in jobs simply because the ‘not stated’ employment locations have now been allocated to a place. Many of our users of economy.id are looking at how the number of...
Are you basing economic development decisions on false news?
More than two years after the ABS made a significant change to the way they collect and calculate employment data, we’re still hearing confusion about this dataset from the sector. In the case of one council,...
Peter Mares on why falling house prices are a good thing
Peter Mares is a highly regarded journalist and broadcaster who has worked with .id previously when we have prepared housing studies for the Victorian Cities of Moreland and Moonee Valley. In this piece, Peter...
Measuring disengagement in your community
In this blog, Glenn introduces our new Disengagement dataset, now available in all community profiles, to show which age-groups in your community are not currently ‘earning or learning’.
How same-sex couples are captured in the Census
The 2017 Marriage Law Postal Survey paved the way for the historic law allowing same-sex couples to marry in Australia.
Intelligent smaller communities adapting to the digital economy
Picture a small New Zealand council (population 40,000), blessed with magnificent natural beauty and history, but challenged with government centralist policies, a stuttering economy and an ageing population.
Do old people drive old cars?
Correlation between data sets doesn’t always mean there is a common underlying cause.
Is your school feeling the pressure?
Sally explains how a 2008 ‘fertility peak’ in Australia is impacting our secondary schools a decade later and shares a free resource to help schools estimate the impact of future demographic change on their...
How to build an evidence base for your housing strategy
Are you building an evidence base for housing strategy? (NSW councils, we’re looking at you!) Georgia works in our housing consulting team and has helped prepare the evidence base for a number of councils’...
Communities of Interest: The Census superpower
Of all the valuable data we get from the Census, this little trick is our best-kept secret.
Are there enough local jobs for your residents?
Of the people who live in your area, how many work locally? As planners work toward 30-minute cities, new data (exclusive to economy.id) shows where longer daily commutes are on the rise. Glenn explains the...
Measuring the casualisation of your workforce
The ‘gig economy’ is the most recent incarnation of a decades-long trend toward under-employment and the ‘casualisation’ of our workforce. But how do you tell if this trend is playing out in your area?
The implications of changing demography on housing demand in Adelaide
Last week I presented a paper to the Urban Development Institute of Australia’s South Australian chapter (UDIA SA). The brief from the UDIA was ‘ talk to us about the implications of changing demography on...
Rebecca’s question: Who is living in all these new apartments?
Rebecca works in community services delivering adult education and other programs. She wondered if the proliferation of apartments in her area has impacted the mix of local families and how they live and work.
How are libraries responding to demographic change?
As front-line service providers, council public libraries have to respond to Australia’s changing demographic profile. In this blog, Jim shares how some libraries in South Australia are planning to do just that.
Crystal ball gazing – predictions for the 2018 New Zealand Census results
Last week Penny and I attended the SOLGM conference ( New Zealand Society of Local Government Managers), where I presented my 12 predictions for the results we expect to see after the New Zealand Census data...
