New analysis of population data has found that long-term moves away from Canberra's original planned polycentric layout, where employment was distributed throughout town centres, has resulted in a widening separation between where people work and where they live.

The research, by SGS Economics & Planning senior consultant Bryn Davies, shows that Canberra is following trends in other Australian capital cities in centralised employment zones and moving away from urban planning styles favoured by Walter Burley Griffin.

Mr Davies found that almost a quarter of all newly created jobs between 1996 and 2001 were in the city. That's an increase of 12,900 positions, mostly in public administration, professional services, finance and insurance.

"While in this time significant retail developments such as the Canberra Centre and its various extensions has occurred, Civic added only 220 retail jobs between 1996 and 2011," he said.

"This modest growth in retail jobs, despite a massive increase in retail floor space, appears to reflect a redistribution of jobs from other retail areas within Civic, such as Garema Place, along Northbourne Avenue, or the Melbourne and Sydney buildings."

A new "triangle" has developed, taking in the city, Acton, Barton, and Russell, around Lake Burley Griffin and connected by the Commonwealth and Kings Avenue bridges.

More than 11,000 jobs have been added in this area since 1996.

Combined with the city, areas either side of the lake made up almost 43 per cent of all employment growth since the election of the Howard government.

The airport business park and Majura Park shopping precinct have driven a fast-growing employment area since 1996, adding about 4450 jobs. The report shows that the increase is made up almost entirely in public administration positions.

In the same period, population growth is increasingly located in developing outer suburbs around Gungahlin, and in regions including Queanbeyan and Yass.

Gungahlin has enjoyed almost 60 per cent of the ACT's population growth, while Tuggeranong has lost population and minor change has been recorded in Weston Creek and Woden.

"Canberra’s economic geography has changed significantly over the past 15 years," Mr Davies said.

"Jobs are increasingly locating in the city’s centre and around the airport, while housing is increasingly being built on the city’s fringes and in the neighbouring towns of New South Wales.

"With the exception of Civic and a selection of suburbs in the inner north, housing and jobs are increasingly separated, diverging further from the urban structure that Canberra was initially planned on."

The change has been felt by 30-year-old Mel Davies, who used to drive for 40 minutes from her previous home in Bonython to reach work in the city.

“Working long hours and stuff like that, when you get in the car you just want to get home,” the professional hairdresser said.

“Some nights I don’t get out of the salon until 9.00 at night. I have a girlfriend who lives in Gordon who comes to the city, and it takes her probably 1½ hours, but she catches the bus.”

Ms Davies, no relation to the report's author, said that because of finishing work late and driving a long distance home, she sometimes doesn't eat dinner until 10pm.

Her recent move to Chisholm wasn't specifically to shorten her daily commute but she now also enjoys close access to family in Canberra’s south.

The research will be welcomed by the ACT government and advocates of the light rail line linking the city and Gungahlin.

The project has been pitched in part as an opportunity to improve access between high population-growth suburbs on Canberra's northern fringe and as a way to reduce growing road congestion on Northbourne Avenue.

Canberra's population is forecast to grow to more than 600,000 by 2050.