250,000 Jobs In 2012

14 December 2012

250,000 Jobs In 2012

• Construction is 2012’s fastest growing industry, up 50% year-on-year
• Auckland remains NZ’s biggest job market, but sees slight decline in 2012

Over 250,000 job opportunities were listed on seek.co.nz in the 12 months to November 2012, up 4% on 2011, reveals data released by New Zealand’s largest job site today.

The best month for Kiwis looking for a new role in 2012 was May, when the number of new jobs across the country reached the highest point in the year, driven by significant spikes in Auckland and Canterbury. The month of May was however, a comparatively quieter time on the jobseeker front, with the majority of applications for roles on SEEK received in the first quarter of the year, peaking in March. Janet Faulding, general manager of SEEK New Zealand, says;

“We always see higher rates of jobseeker activity in the New Year as people return from their holidays, ready to set career-related resolutions in motion. Experience from years past, and our knowledge that 43% of Kiwis are intending to get a new job in 2013, means we should see this trend repeat in the first months of next year. However, with site visits and applications from mobile devices on the rise, we also expect to see jobseekers keep up the job hunt remotely during the holidays,” Ms Faulding says.

Looking at New Zealand’s main centres, Auckland remains the region with the greatest number of available jobs, with just under 125,000 new jobs listed in the region throughout year. This is a slight dip of 3% from 2011, likely caused by the influx of Rugby World Cup related roles last year. Wellington had the second highest number of roles, more than 45,000 for the year to November 2012, increasing 2% from 2011.

The strongest performer of 2012, however, was the Canterbury region, with the third highest number of jobs in New Zealand this year (37,000). Canterbury also experienced the highest rate of growth of any region with a 34% increase in new job ads, or 9,000 new jobs, during 2012.

“The Canterbury region continues to bounce back. The number of jobs related to the rebuild of the city has seen incredible growth this year, with the strongest sectors in the region being construction, design and architecture, and engineering,” says Ms Faulding.

“Kiwis looking for work should consider Canterbury as a hub of opportunity during this unique time in the New Zealand labour market.”

2012 saw widespread growth in blue collar industries with the number of roles advertised in Construction the fastest growing of all, increasing 50% in the 12 months to November 2012. More than one third of Construction roles were advertised in Canterbury.

Growth was also evident in Trades and Services, with an increase of 22%, and Mining, Resources and Energy increasing by 33%.

Meanwhile, the sectors in New Zealand with the greatest number of advertised opportunities in 2012 were IT, Accounting, Administration and Office Support, Healthcare and Medical, and Sales. This list is unchanged from 2011, highlighting that New Zealand, for now, has some core industries that have a consistent demand for talent.

ENDS

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