Many of us have lived in The Hills Shire all our lives and know almost every corner of it. I am going to share with you some information that may catch most of us by surprise. Did you know that home to 183,791 people, The Hills Shire supports 67,189 jobs and has an annual economic output of $24.132 billion?
It gets even more interesting when we learn that Retail Trade is The Hills Shire’s largest employment sector, supporting an estimated 12,595 jobs.
Retail sector is what keeps our economy ticking. It is where young students find casual employment, learn new skills and understand finer details of running a business. When it comes to contributing to the economy as well the community, small businesses punch way above their weight.
As your local Councillor as well as a small business owner, supporting SMEs has always been close to my heart. If this section of our business community flourishes, we all benefit from it. Many of the small retail businesses have been hit hard by the Covid restrictions. While this may be unavoidable, we must make sure they receive the community’s full support when the restrictions are lifted.
Let us make sure we shop local, and help them recover from weeks of minimum business activity.
If you have any ideas or suggestions that may help the small business owners in The Hills Shire, you can reach me at connect@reenajethi.com.au.