Kiwi Job Market Remains Positive

Media release
15 April 2013

Kiwi Job Market Remains Positive

The national employment market is still growing year-on year according to an analysis of over 41,000 roles on Trade Me Jobs over the last quarter.

Head of Trade Me Jobs Ginny Ryder said job vacancies in the quarter were up 5.3 per cent on a year ago, but this had dipped slightly from 11.4 per cent in the December quarter. “There are hints of a slow shift in favour of job hunters as we see job numbers rise, and demand fall. That’s good news for people hunting that dream job.”

The main centres

Ms Ryder said there was a “two-speed” employment market in New Zealand. “Christchurch and Auckland are the powerhouses, but Wellington looks stuck in second gear.”

The Auckland region is dominant and accounts for over one-third of the country’s jobs. Ms Ryder said advertised roles in the central city fell by 3.2 per cent, but other parts of the Super City had made up the difference. “Surrounding areas like Manukau and North Shore are showing some good growth compared to this time last year, up 9 per cent and 15 per cent respectively.”

Further south, a change of guard is taking place with Wellington “heading in the other direction”, experiencing a 13.9 per cent increase in applications and 7.2 per cent drop in listings. “This weaker market aligns with Westpac/McDermott Miller’s recent comments about Wellingtonians having a gloomier outlook than other parts of the country, citing continued job pressure in the public sector as a key factor,” Ms Ryder said.

Canterbury experienced 16.5 per cent listings growth, and Ms Ryder said it was now on par with the capital in terms of job openings. “This comes as no surprise given the ongoing rebuild with trade, construction and retail roles driving activity. There’s now a real sense that the rebuild is properly under way, with an increase of applications helping make that happen.”

In the regions

There was growth in the number of roles advertised in the quarter in all regions, aside from Wellington and the West Coast (down 23.2%). “Areas where the number of roles increased significantly included Otago, Gisborne and Nelson. It will be interesting to see if this is a long-term trend or a short-term side-effect of the long hot summer.”

Sectors

“Farmers are still hiring despite the dry weather, with advertised vacancies up 25 per cent on the same period last year,” Ms Ryder said. “Roles in civil & structural engineering also had a solid boost, with the number of available positions lifting 92 per cent on last year.”

There was also resurgent growth in the finance and insurance sectors. “Banks seem to be reinvesting in their office network, with client service vacancies up 31 per cent as a result. Insurance jobs skyrocketed by 88 per cent, which could be due to the changing insurance landscape following the Canterbury earthquake.”

The construction sector is also booming, with roles in construction and architecture climbing 47.7 per cent on the previous year. “Skill with a sharp pencil remains in hot demand, with roles for architects and draughtspeople up 51 per cent and 92 per cent respectively. Roles for machine operators, supervisors and site managers are also growing strongly.”

Looking ahead

The New Zealand employment market is “at a crossroads”, with consumer confidence improving but offshore conditions creating uncertainty. “While business confidence has taken a dip recently with the drought in the North Island, we think the ongoing Canterbury rebuild, Fonterra pay-outs for dairy farmers and rising property prices should help offset this. Globally the economic situation remains indecisive, and we’d be remiss to think New Zealand is isolated from the impact."

Trade Me Jobs employment survey results: January – March 2013
1. Listings growth by job: Q1/2013

2. Average rates of annual pay by job (full-time jobs only): Q1/2013

3. Listings growth by region for Q1/2013

4. Average rates of annual pay by region (full-time jobs only) : Q1/2013

NB: Segments with less than 50 jobs excluded.

About Trade Me Jobs
More Kiwis visited Trade Me Jobs (www.trademe.co.nz/jobs) than any other job board in 2012 (Source:
Nielsen Net Ratings: Monthly Unique Audience). Full details of pay by profession for full-time jobs listed between July and November June 2012 are in the updated Trade Me Jobs Salary Guide.

ENDS

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