SEEK NZ Employment Report - March

Rob Clark, SEEK NZ Country Manager says

“This is the first time quarterly ad volumes have risen in over two and a half years, suggesting that ad volumes appear to be stabilising after two years of steady decline.

“The smaller regions recorded much of the growth month-on-month, but looking broadly at the entire quarter, most regions are demonstrating positive movement.

“There are early signs that economic and labour market growth may be on the horizon, albeit amid a very uncertain global trade and economic backdrop.”

National Trends

Job ads remained steady m/m in March. With a 2% rise, quarterly ad volumes have risen for the first time since August 2022, indicating a stabilisation of the market.

Job ads declined 15% y/y, which is the smallest decline in almost two years.

Job ads grew outside of the metro hubs (3%) but fell in the metro regions (-1%). There was growth in both the cities and regional areas for the Public sector (4%), and to a lesser extent in the Construction sector and Professional Services outside of the major cities. This offset distinct decline in the Consumer and Industrial sectors in the major cities.

Applications per job ad continue to climb, rising 2% m/m, making for an extremely competitive market for candidates.

Region Trends

While Auckland declined (-1%), Wellington (2%) and Canterbury (1%) were the only large regions to record job ad growth m/m.

The smaller regions, which are susceptible to more fluctuation due to smaller volumes, recorded significant m/m job ad growth with Marlborough (24%), Tasman (16%) and Taranaki (14%) leading the rest of the nation. Aside from Taranaki (-5%), these regions have also recorded q/q job ad growth, indicating that it is not simply a short-term rise, with Marlborough up 11% q/q and Tasman rising 5% q/q.

Canterbury (7%) and Otago (6%) also recorded significant job ad growth this past quarter.

All regions recorded growing applications per job ad m/m, aside from Tasman (-8%), Marlborough (-2%) and Wellington, where there was no change. Waikato (8%), Manawatu (7%) and Otago (6%) were among the regions that saw notable jumps in applications per job ad in February.

Industry Trends

A decline in the Consumer Services and Industrial sectors, predominantly in the metro regions, offset growth in the Public sector m/m, which led to no change in ad volumes for the month.

Declines in Hospitality & Tourism (-9%) and Retail & Consumer Products (-10%) among other industries contributed to the Consumer Services sector decline, whereas rises in Healthcare & Medical (7%) and Education & Training (7%) meant growth for the Public sector, in both metro and regional areas.

Reflecting the quarterly growth nationally, most industries recorded rising job ad volumes for the first quarter of 2025, with notable increases in demand for Information & Communication Technology (5%), Administration & Office Support (4%) and Sales (4%) workers.

Applications per job ad increased 14% m/m in Retail & Consumer Products, 6% in Sales and 4% in Accounting, among many other industries.

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