A vibrant and growing sector of the Australian business community

The professional service sector is an important contributor to the Australian economy both in terms of employment and productivity improvement. This sector cuts across many industries including franchising and the legal and accounting services industries, building and construction (eg. architects, town planners, engineering consultants), business (eg. recruitment consultants, human resource management consultants, market researchers, PR consultants, events managers and many more).

Business management services

Australia has a strong capability in business management services and the industry as a whole has grown in recent years mainly due to many companies outsourcing business management services.

Key areas of expertise in management consulting include:

• IT
• Human resources
• e-commerce
• Strategic planning and business process
• Benchmarking/best practice areas
• Public sector, including e-government

Franchising

Well regulated and highly developed, franchise businesses flourish in a diverse range of industries and it is a vibrant and expanding sector of Australia’s business community.

International franchising opportunities are expanding rapidly as Australian exporters look for opportunities beyond the relatively small domestic market.

Just over 27 per cent of Australian-based franchises are currently operating overseas, with the majority targeting New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, the UK and the US.

Global social and economic trends such as an ageing population, increased single parent families and better health awareness have boosted demand for services such as child care, aged care, retirement planning services, fitness outlets, healthy food and home improvement services.

Most Australian franchise businesses choose master franchising or 100 per cent ownership to structure their overseas operations.

Useful Links

Franchising

www.accc.gov.au - The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
www.business.gov.au - Business Entry Point
www.industry.gov.au - The Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research
www.entrepreneur.com - Entrepreneur.com

Networks and associations

www.ahri.com.au - Australian Human Resources Institute
www.aim.com.au - Australian Institute of Management
www.amsrs.com.au - Australian Market and Social Research Society
www.ami.org.au - Australian Marketing Institute
www.imc.org.au - Institute of Management Consultants
www.pria.com.au - blic Relations Institute of Australia