Job Market Picks Up Steam

Job Market Picks Up Steam

The New Zealand employment market has grown steadily in the first three months of 2010, according to a study of 26,000 jobs listed on Trade Me Jobs (trademejobs.co.nz).

Keith Muirhead, head of Trade Me Jobs, said his team had seen consistent signs of growth in the first quarter of 2010. “Advertised vacancies are up 9% on the last quarter of 2009, and we’re seeing employers feel more at ease with the economic outlook. It’s not been a one-month blip.”

Mr Muirhead said the main centres had led the charge, with the capital in particular rebounding strongly. “Wellington City and neighbouring Lower Hutt have recovered from a weak 2009 with ads up 11%, bolstered by growth in hospitality and tourism, healthcare and continued strength in the IT sector.”

However, despite Wellington’s solid bounce-back in the number of vacancies advertised, Auckland City has usurped it as the best paid location, with an average pay of $73,121 per annum.

Mr Muirhead said Southland and the West Coast also stood out as having had a strong quarter in terms of salaries on offer. “Both of these Mainland regions are exposed to the high rates of pay on offer in parts of the energy sector.”

He said competition amongst job-seekers remained high, especially amongst those seeking well-paid roles. “In January we predicted that skilled employees who’ve been sitting tight will start to feel confident enough to look elsewhere, and the numbers indicate that this is now happening. Employers who aren’t actively managing their top talent face a double threat from New Zealand businesses who are starting to recruit again, and from Australia.”

There has also been an increase in employer demand for permanent employees. “With the economy on the up, skills shortages loom again,” Mr Muirhead said. “With that in mind, employers appear to be keen to get good people on board permanently, reversing the recent trend toward hiring contractors.”

Results From Trade Me Jobs

Employment survey results: Jan-Mar 2010

1. Listings growth by job (vs previous quarter)

Job Listings growth (%) Accounting +8 Agriculture, fishing & forestry +49 Banking, finance & insurance -11 Construction & architecture +5 Customer Service +15 Education +5 Engineering 0 Government & council -12 Healthcare +11 Hospitality & tourism +7 HR & Recruitment -11 IT +3 Legal +13 Manufacturing & operations +25 Marketing, media & comms +40 Office & administration +23 Retail +19 Sales +7 Science & technology +12 Trades & services +12 Transport & logistics +20

2. Average rates of pay (by job)

  Highest paid   1 Doctors $149,756 2 IT architects $124,327 3 IT sales & pre-sales $122,051  4 IT project managers $121,420 5 Financial controllers $116,579       Lowest paid     1 Kitchen staff $30,685 2 Bar staff & baristas $31,146 3 Labourers $32,231 4 Retail assistant $32,597 5 Waiting staff $32,622

3. Listings growth by region (vs previous quarter)

Region Listings growth (%) Auckland +7 Bay Of Plenty +23 Canterbury +7 Gisborne -13 Hawkes Bay +4 Manawatu / Wanganui +43 Marlborough +2 Nelson / Tasman +17 Northland +17 Otago -4 Southland +22 Taranaki +17 Waikato +9 Wellington +11 West Coast -3

4. Average rates of pay by region

  Highest paid     1 Auckland City $73,121 2 Wellington City $70,435 3 Regional Southland $68,112 4 West Coast (Grey) $67,596 5 Whangarei $64,056       Lowest paid     1 Napier $41,954 2 Masterton $42,713 3 Hastings $43,147 4 Porirua $44,415 5 Palmerston North $44,396
NB: All figures based on job listings on Trade Me Jobs Jan-Mar 2010. Segments with less than 50 jobs excluded.

ENDS

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