Moving to work, moving from work: housing, travel, cost and key workers in Sydney
Michael Darcy, Judy Stubbs, Julia Perry and Hazel Blunden
Social Justice and Social Change Research Centre, University of Western Sydney, and Shelter NSW
Contact Email:   m.darcyuws.edu.au

Many lower paid essential jobs are located in areas where housing is relatively expensive. This paper outlines a study which explored workers’ experiences of the relationship between housing and work. The paper presents evidence from ‘key’ or essential service workers in the transport, health and local government sectors concerning their housing and work situations. Approximately 350 respondents were surveyed and 18 interviewed from 3 work locations in Sydney. The results show that many workers commute very long distances when buying a home, or pay a high proportion of income in rent if they live close by. Study participants made difficult choices between higher transport costs and/or higher housing costs when considering their housing tenure options. Many who lived far from their jobs suffered stress due to travel times, and many reported actively seeking to change jobs to reduce financial and time costs. Will labour shortages become more noticeable inner city areas as workers move away and find jobs closer to home? How will this affect essential services? This study indicates that how this is already happening. The paper contains policy suggestions to avoid a future shortage of ‘key’ or essential service workers in Sydney.

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