City of Greater Bendigo’s new report Identifying opportunities for professional services in 2012 and beyond shows $3.8 billion was spent on professional services in 2010. Of that, $417 million was spent outside Greater Bendigo.

At the launch of the report yesterday, about 135 business people discussed ways to grow Bendigo’s professional sector .

Manager of council’s economic development unit Brian Gould said a similar study had been done five years ago and showed the professional sector was already growing.

“At the moment we’re losing about 11 per cent, but that is better than five years ago when the percentage was higher, 13 to 14 per cent,” Mr Gould said.

“We have closed the gap and we want to continue to close that gap.”

For this report council also looked at individual businesses and what made them choose to engage professional services in Bendigo or elsewhere.

“We talked to 100 businesses to get a much better understanding about what are the issues and where support is needed,” Mr Gould said. “It was a warts and all analysis.”

Mr Gould said areas that needed to be looked at were: improving the quality and competitiveness of quotes, providing more information about what services were provided locally, and overcoming issues around confidentially concerns.

“We still have a problem with a lack of specialist skills and expertise locally, but that is something that is harder to fix in the short term,” he said.

Mr Gould said a strong professional services sector was critical for the future growth of Bendigo.

“It creates new jobs in Bendigo, it creates new businesses,” he said.

“Having a strong vibrant professional services sector is really important as we look at unprecedented growth in the next decade.

“You have the huge new hospital development, the multi-million expansion of Hazeldenes and community projects like the theatre and planned swimming pool.

“All of those projects require some professional services whether its legal, marketing, real estate or IT.”