Transport for NSW provides projections of workforce at the small area (Travel Zone or TZ) level for NSW. The latest version is Travel Zone Projections 2024 (TZP24), released in January 2025.

TZP24 replaces the previously published TZP22. The projections are developed to support a strategic view of NSW and are aligned with the NSW Government Common Planning Assumptions.

TZP24 Workforce Projections cover persons who reside in Occupied Private Dwellings, aged 15 years and over, and are presented by their usual place of residence.

The following Workforce variables are presented in TZP24:

• Employed People, 15 years and over
• Unemployed People, 15 years and over
• People not in the workforce, 15 years and over

The projections in this release, TZP24, are presented annually from 2021 to 2031 and 5-yearly from 2031 to 2066, and are in TZ21 geography.

Please note, TZP24 is based on best available data as at early 2024 and the projections incorporate results of the National Census conducted by the ABS in August 2021.

Key Data Inputs used:

• TZP24 Population and Dwellings projections
• Workforce participation rates - NSW Treasury
• Historical labour force data - ABS Labour Force Survey

For a summary of the TZP24 Projections method please refer to the TZP24 Factsheet.

For more detail on the projection process please refer to the TZP24 Technical Guide.

Additional land use information for population and employment as well as Travel Zone 2021 boundaries for NSW (TZ21) and concordance files are also available for download on the Open Data Hub.

A visualisation of the workforce projections is available on the Transport for NSW Website.

Cautions

The TZP24 dataset represents one view of the future aligned with the NSW Government Common Planning Assumptions population and employment projections.

The projections are not based on specific assumptions about future new transport infrastructure, but do take into account known land-use developments underway or planned, and strategic plans.

• TZP24 is a strategic state-wide dataset and caution should be exercised when considering results at detailed breakdowns.
• The TZP24 outputs represent a point in time set of projections (as at early 2024).
• The projections are not government targets.
• Travel Zone (TZ) level outputs are projections only and should be used as a guide. As with all small area data, aggregating of travel zone projections to higher geographies leads to more robust results.
• As a general rule, TZ-level projections are illustrative of a possible future only.
• More specific advice about data reliability for the specific variables projected is provided in the “Read Me” page of the Excel format summary spreadsheets on the TfNSW Open Data Hub.
• Caution is advised when comparing TZP24 with the previous set of projections (TZP22) due to addition of new data sources for the most recent years, and adjustments to methodology.

Further cautions and notes can be found in the TZP24 Technical Guide