Manningham Infrastructure Projects, VIC

Manningham combines a large service economy with active school, industrial and transport work

Economic base

Manningham has a broad metropolitan service economy rather than a resource or agricultural base. In 2021, health care and social assistance accounted for 14.3% of employed residents, professional, scientific and technical services 11.3%, retail trade 11.1%, education and training 8.6%, and construction 8.5%. Financial and insurance services contributed 5.8%, while manufacturing contributed 5.3%. The business base reinforces this pattern: in June 2025, Manningham had 15,372 registered businesses and 4,601 employing businesses. The largest registered-business groups included construction, rental, hiring and real estate services, professional services, health care and social assistance, retail, and transport, postal and warehousing.

The population base was 132,912 in 2025, after growth of 1,549 people, or 1.2%. The main demographic contribution was net overseas migration of 2,249, while natural increase was -60 and net internal migration was -640. Manningham’s labour force was 70,993 in 2026-Q1, with 3,124 unemployed people and an unemployment rate of 4.4%. These figures describe a sizeable resident workforce alongside a diverse business base. Health and care activity is supported by two open public and private hospitals, 91 approved centre-based childcare services and 6,027 approved childcare places, plus 20 residential aged care homes and 1,786 residential aged care places.

Project program

The most material pattern in Manningham’s project work is active activity across school, industrial and transport work, with proposed transport work extending that direction. Completed work includes school, retail and transport work. The largest-work categories are industrial, school and transport, and the overall scale is mid-sized. Transport work is shared with other councils, so it should be understood as part of a broader cross-council program rather than solely as local activity. The mix therefore combines current education, industrial and access-related work with further transport planning, alongside completed retail and community-facing work.

Building approvals provide a separate measure of current construction activity. Non-residential building work approved to proceed was $217.6m in the 12 months to June 2026, or 1.34× Manningham’s own three-year average. Residential approvals were 480 dwellings in the 12 months to July 2026, comprising 248 houses and 232 townhouses, apartments and other dwellings. The residential approval mix is therefore broadly divided between houses and other dwellings, while the non-residential figure points to a substantial flow of approved building work across the council’s service and business environment.

Economic connections

Transport work aligns with the needs of a council whose residents and businesses are concentrated in services, retail, construction, wholesale and transport-related activity. Better access could support movement between workplaces, households and commercial areas, while shared transport work may improve connections across council boundaries. This is a mechanism of access rather than a measured economic outcome. The existing business base includes 869 registered transport, postal and warehousing businesses, 657 wholesale businesses and 1,083 retail businesses, giving access and movement a clear place in the local operating environment.

Industrial work aligns with Manningham’s manufacturing, construction and business-service base and could support premises and operating capacity for production or service activity. School work may add education capacity, while health and care capacity is relevant to the council’s largest resident-employment industry. The connection is strongest when read alongside current approvals: $217.6m of non-residential work approved in the 12 months to June 2026 signals building activity that may support business and community facilities. These relationships support capacity and connectivity; they do not by themselves establish changes in employment or output.

Outlook

Manningham’s near-term direction will be shaped by the relationship between population growth, housing approvals and service capacity. The state housing target requires 1,018 homes a year, and approvals since July 2023 were at 53% of the yearly pace required over July 2023 to July 2026. In the latest 12 months, 480 dwellings were approved and the rate was 3.6 dwellings per 1,000 residents, with approvals at 0.90× the council’s own three-year average. The residential building-work value was $493.3m for the same period. Together, these measures point to housing activity that is material but below the council’s own recent average and below the target pace.

The project mix gives the council a continuing emphasis on school, industrial and transport activity, with proposed transport work and shared access programs remaining relevant to how the local economy functions. Population growth is being driven primarily by overseas migration despite negative natural increase and internal migration, so demand for education, care, health and transport services may continue to evolve with the composition of arrivals. Building approvals, the labour market, population change, business counts and the balance between active, proposed and completed work are the main indicators to follow as Manningham’s service economy adjusts.

For council and planning staff

The housing target requires 1,018 homes a year, and the target pace was 53% for July 2023 to July 2026; 1,659 dwellings had been approved across that period. Manningham’s population change was 1,549 people, or 1.2%, in 2025, driven by 2,249 net overseas migrants alongside -60 natural increase and -640 net internal migration. Service capacity includes two hospitals, 91 approved centre-based childcare services and 6,027 childcare places, as well as 20 residential aged care homes and 1,786 places.

For buyers’ agents and investors

The 2021 housing and household profile combines an average household size of 2.7 persons with a median age of 43. Tenure was 43.3% owned outright, 32.9% owned with a mortgage and 20.3% rented. A total of 40.2% lived at a different address five years earlier. Median weekly household income was $1,920 and median weekly personal income was $756. The 2026-Q1 labour force was 70,993, with 3,124 unemployed people and an unemployment rate of 4.4%. New approvals in the 12 months to July 2026 comprised 248 houses and 232 other dwellings.

For builders and developers

In the 12 months to July 2026, 480 dwellings were approved: 248 houses and 232 townhouses, apartments and other dwellings. The approval rate was 0.90× Manningham’s own three-year average, and approved residential building work was valued at $493.3m. Non-residential building work approved to proceed was $217.6m in the 12 months to June 2026, equal to 1.34× the council’s own three-year average. In June 2025, construction had 2,654 registered businesses and 804 employing businesses, while construction accounted for 8.5% of employed residents in 2021.

Key takeaways

• Manningham’s economic base is dominated by health care, professional services, retail, education and construction, supported by 15,372 registered businesses and 4,601 employing businesses in June 2025.
• Project activity is concentrated in active school, industrial and transport work, with proposed transport work and completed school, retail and transport work; shared transport work extends beyond the council boundary.
• Housing approvals were at 53% of the state target pace for July 2023 to July 2026 and 0.90× Manningham’s own three-year average in the 12 months to July 2026, while non-residential approvals were $217.6m and 1.34× the council’s own average in the 12 months to June 2026.

Sources

• Health care and social assistance — ABS Census 2021
• Registered businesses — ABS Counts of Australian Businesses
• Estimated resident population — ABS Regional Population
• Unemployment rate — Small Area Labour Markets
• Professional, scientific and technical services — ABS Census 2021
• Retail trade — ABS Census 2021
• Education and training — ABS Census 2021
• Construction — ABS Census 2021
• Financial and insurance services — ABS Census 2021
• Manufacturing — ABS Census 2021
• Employing businesses — ABS Counts of Australian Businesses
• Registered businesses, Construction — ABS Counts of Australian Businesses
• Registered businesses, Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services — ABS Counts of Australian Businesses
• Registered businesses, Professional, Scientific and Technical Services — ABS Counts of Australian Businesses
• Registered businesses, Health Care and Social Assistance — ABS Counts of Australian Businesses
• Registered businesses, Retail Trade — ABS Counts of Australian Businesses
• Registered businesses, Transport, Postal and Warehousing — ABS Counts of Australian Businesses
• Population change — ABS Regional Population
• Population change — ABS Regional Population
• Natural increase — ABS Regional Population
• Net internal migration — ABS Regional Population
• Net overseas migration — ABS Regional Population
• Labour force — Small Area Labour Markets
• Unemployed persons — Small Area Labour Markets
• Open public and private hospitals — AIHW MyHospitals
• Approved centre-based childcare services — ACECQA national register
• Approved childcare places — ACECQA national register
• Residential aged care homes — AIHW GEN aged care
• Residential aged care places — AIHW GEN aged care
• Non-residential building approvals, latest 12 months — ABS Building Approvals
• Dwellings approved, latest 12 months — ABS Building Approvals
• Non-residential building approvals versus this council's own three-year average, weighted by the value of those approvals — ABS Building Approvals
• New houses approved, latest 12 months — ABS Building Approvals
• Townhouses, apartments and other dwellings approved, latest 12 months — ABS Building Approvals
• Registered businesses, Wholesale Trade — ABS Counts of Australian Businesses
• Dwellings approved since July 2023 against the yearly pace the housing target needs (100% is on pace) — Plan for Victoria
• Dwellings approved versus this council's own three-year average — ABS Building Approvals
• Target: 28,500 net new dwellings from 2023 to 2051 (1,018 a year) — Plan for Victoria
• Dwellings approved since July 2023 — ABS Building Approvals
• Dwellings approved per 1,000 residents, latest 12 months — ABS Building Approvals
• Value of residential building work approved (new homes, alterations and additions), latest 12 months — ABS Building Approvals
• Owned outright — ABS Census 2021
• Average household size — ABS Census 2021
• Median age — ABS Census 2021
• Owned with a mortgage — ABS Census 2021
• Rented — ABS Census 2021
• Lived at a different address 5 years ago — ABS Census 2021
• Median household income (weekly) — ABS Census 2021
• Median personal income (weekly) — ABS Census 2021
• Employing businesses, Construction — ABS Counts of Australian Businesses