More than 400 South Australian companies have applied for grants and loans to expand their operations and create new jobs under the state government's Future Jobs Fund.
The government announced the $200 million fund in its last budget and Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis says it has already received applications worth more than $800 million.
The response has prompted a call to the federal government to match the state's commitment.
"This is an overwhelming response from businesses looking to invest almost $10 billion in SA. It shows how much potential for growth exists in our economy," Mr Koutsantonis said on Tuesday.
"We start the process today of going through those applications to see which ones will be successful and which ones won't be.
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"Of course there would be more successful today if the commonwealth government matched our jobs fund dollar for dollar."
Mr Koutsantonis said the state government was managing the transition of the SA economy and unemployment was now the second-lowest among all the states.
But with the looming closure of car maker Holden, there was still more to do.
The treasurer said the successful applicants would be those that offered the best value for money and presented the best opportunity to create jobs.
