Demand for talent in Canterbury accelerates as employment opportunities grow across multiple industries

Demand for talent continues to accelerate in the Canterbury region with a 16 per cent year-on-year (June 2013 - June 2014) increase in new job ads, following a four year high in employment opportunities in May[1], says SEEK, New Zealand’s leading employment marketplace.

“While industries connected to the rebuild from the 2011 earthquake continue to drive employment, June saw strong growth of business service roles posted to the SEEK website,” says Janet Faulding, General Manager SEEK New Zealand.

Business service roles showing the greatest growth year-on-year to June 2014 include human resources and recruitment (up 73 per cent), marketing (up 59 per cent), administration and office support (up 22 per cent), sales (up 21 per cent), call centre and customer services (up 9 per cent).

“In May business confidence in New Zealand reached a twenty-year high and it’s encouraging to see this confidence has spread to broader industries in the local economy. Every new building that goes up equals new employment opportunities for candidates as organisations move out of temporary offices; kick-starting growth and recruitment plans,” says Ms Faulding.

“The recent announcement that ANZ will locate its Canterbury Corporate Office in the central CBD is great news for the city and will hopefully give other businesses the confidence to invest in the central city,” continues Ms Faulding.

Job growth in industries directly related to the rebuild remain strong with significant year-on-year growth to June 2014 in construction (up 84 per cent), design and architecture (up 36 per cent), insurance and superannuation (up 25 per cent), engineering (up 21 per cent).

Confidence among candidates is also strong as they take advantage of the increasing number of job opportunities available, leading them to explore different career avenues and apply for new roles.

Application rates within the Canterbury region have increased 10 per cent year-on-year to June 2014. The industries with the highest application rates year-on-year include human resources and recruitment (up 50 per cent), sales (up 27 per cent) consulting and strategy (up 26 per cent), marketing (up 25 per cent) and advertising, arts and media (up 22 per cent).

Now that 40 per cent of visits to the SEEK website in New Zealand are from mobile devices, it’s becoming more common for candidates to apply for roles via mobile utilising their SEEK Profile, Ms Faulding says that if hirers are looking to attract talented candidates then they must make their job ads as concise and interesting as possible.

“The way candidates apply for roles is changing and vague job descriptions will not be enough to attract the right talent. Hirers must instead look at writing succinct ads that demonstrate the company’s strengths as an employer,” concludes Ms Faulding.

[1] SEEK commenced recording employment in Canterbury in 2010
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