In-Person Services

In Person Services accounts for 42% of total employment in the Port Stephens area. This sector is driven by the size of the population (local and regional) and the number of visitors to the region. With the recent population growth, there has been an increase in employment and business opportunities in this sector.

Future drivers of growth in this sector will be population growth, including the development of Medowie, North Raymond Terrace and other in-fill development; and the pattern of government spending on health, community services and aged care services. A larger population will increase the demand for both private services and publicly funded services.

Some of these opportunities will be in the new local town areas (eg. food retailing and convenience retail), while others will be concentrated in Raymond Terrace as the major centre for the Port Stephens local government area. With the projected growth of the Peninsulas, retail and service opportunities are likely to increase in Nelson Bay and Salamander Bay.

Retail

Retail is a major category in this sector, with the area offering a wide range of shopping options from village style facilities to boutique style shops and arcades.Three major shopping centres are in existence, located at Raymond Terrace, Nelson Bay and Salamander with smaller centres at Medowie, Tanilba Bay, Anna Bay and Karuah.

Education

Port Stephens has an excellent education system with public and private primary and secondary schools spread throughout the region. At a tertiary level, the Hunter region is highly competitive. The University of Newcastle is one of Australia’s leading universities, with five faculties and over 20,000 students. It is renowned for its medical, engineering and architecture faculties. TAFE NSW services in Port Stephens are administered by the Hunter Institute of Technology, which offers over 500 courses throughout the region with an annual enrolment totalling 50,000.

Health

Health is a major segment of in-person services and mainly comprises of clinics, nursing homes, medical and dental practices. Community, cultural and recreational services are mainly located in Raymond Terrace and Nelson Bay.