SEEK job ads up 4.8 per cent year on year

12 August 2016

SEEK job ads up 4.8 per cent year on year

Data released today by SEEK shows that there were 4.8 per cent more jobs advertised on SEEK in July 2016 than 12 months ago.

Janet Faulding, General Manager for SEEK NZ, said Information & Communication Technology [ICT] was the top advertising industry across New Zealand this July, followed by Trades & Services and Administration & Office Support.

“The most in-demand skills on SEEK for the ICT industry at present are Developers/Programmers, Business/Systems Analysts, Programme & Project Management and Help Desk & IT Support,” revealed Faulding.

“However, we’ve seen demand cool off for Team Leaders, Hardware Engineers, Technical Writers and Computer Operators,” Faulding added.

“A likely driver of job ad growth for the ICT sector is New Zealand’s exporting culture,” said Faulding.

“NZ companies are now tapping into the overseas markets to grow their businesses, plus investing in new technology and infrastructure to be competitive, and consequently they require ICT talent to help them thrive,” she added.

Auckland job ads on SEEK grew 5.4 per cent year on year this July, while in Wellington job ads were up 4.5 per cent.

“It’s great to see the continued improvement of the Wellington job market after a period of weakness earlier this year and last year,” said Faulding.

“Our capital is becoming more attractive to overseas companies. Last month the Australian department store David Jones opened their doors in Wellington and international fashion retail giants Zara and H&M are rumoured to follow, which only creates more jobs.”

Canterbury still remains New Zealand’s weakest major region, with job ads down 12.6 per cent year on year.

“The Canterbury labour market has been subdued since March 2015, almost 18 months,” said Faulding. “The job market in this region was supported by the earthquake rebuild, however with that slowing we’ve seen low year on year job ad volumes.”

In Canterbury the trend decline for job ads has slowed in July to -0.7% month on month [m/m], which is the lowest it has been in four months, which indicates the market could be improving.
· July -0.7 per cent m/m
· June, -0.8 per cent m/m
· May, -0.8 per cent m/m
· April, -1.0 per cent m/m

CANDIDATE AVAILABILITY

At a national level the data shows that there has been a slight year on year increase in the SEEK Employment Index this July, which points to favourable conditions for job seekers as there is slightly less applications, competition, for each role. However, underneath this national figure there is a clear difference in candidate availability at a regional level.

For jobseekers in Auckland and Wellington, year on year there is a reasonable balance between jobs advertised and candidates applying.

While in Canterbury it remains a hirer’s market, for each job advertised there is a higher than average number of candidates applying, creating more competition for job seekers but providing hirers with a larger pool of candidates to choose from.

“It’s important for job seekers in a hirer’s market, to have an up-to-date SEEK Profile to help them get noticed by prospective employers because they’re applying for jobs in a highly competitive market,” Faulding said.

ends

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