SEEK NZ Employment Report August
NATIONAL INSIGHTS
- Job ads increased for the first time since March, rising 2% month-on-month (m/m).
- Ad volumes are 26% lower year-on-year (y/y) but are 4% higher than August 2019.
- Applications per job ad increased for the sixth consecutive month, rising 2%*.
REGION INSIGHTS
- The monthly increase in job ad volumes was driven by growth in Auckland (3%), Hawkes Bay (7%) and Manawatu (7%).
- Regions to record a decline in job ads were Gisborne (-8%), West Coast (-4%), Taranaki (-2%) and Bay of Plenty (-1%).
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
- The industries driving the job ad increase were Hospitality & Tourism (20%), Community Services & Development (11%) and Education & Training (12%).
- Construction (-7%) was the largest industry to record a decline in job ads.
- Applications per job ad picked up in most industries, including Information & Communication Technology (8%) and Trades & Services (5%).
NATIONAL
INSIGHTS
After falling m/m since
March, job ad volumes increased in August by 2%. Small
increases in many of the high-volume industries and the
larger cities were responsible for the overall rise. Job ads
are 26% lower year-on-year and 4% higher than August
2019.
Applications per job ad rose for a sixth
consecutive month, increasing 2% from the month prior.
Levels are now higher than ever recorded by SEEK
data.
Figure 1: National SEEK job ad percentage change m/m August 2022 to August 2023.
![](https://img.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/2309/ex5-tkibwbt5bcn5.jpg)
Table 1: National and regional job ad growth/decline comparing August 2023 to: i) July 2023 (m/m), ii) August 2022 (y/y) and iii) August 2019.
![](https://img.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/2309/yaovq3eq-6cljauw.jpg)
REGION
INSIGHTS
Nine regions recorded
increased job ad volumes in August, with Auckland (3%),
Hawkes Bay (7%) and Manawatu (7%) the greatest contributors
to overall growth.
Some of the smaller regions
by job ad volume recorded the greatest decline, specifically
Gisborne (-8%) and West
Coast
(-4%).
Nationally, job ads in
the cities grew to a greater degree than the regional areas,
with urban roles rising 3% m/m, and those outside the major
cities rising just 0.6%.
Applications per job
ad rose in many regions m/m, the greatest being in Northland
(13%), Gisborne (10%) and Otago
(10%).
Figure 2: Region job ad volumes
– August 2019 to August 2023
![](https://img.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/2309/zhsdpm4bq2rfbldn.jpg)
Figure 3: National SEEK job ad percentage change by region (August 2023 vs July 2023)
![](https://img.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/2309/fpyq59wwpphgqxv4.jpg)
INDUSTRY
INSIGHTS
While most of the large
industries recorded increases in job ads in August, the
greatest were in Hospitality & Tourism (20%), Consulting
& Strategy (15%), Education & Training (12%) and
Community Services & Development
(11%).
After declining since March, Hospitality
& Tourism ads jumped in August due to rising demand for
Chefs/ Cooks, Management and Front of House staff, likely in
preparation for the upcoming summer and Christmas season.
Similarly, demand for Retail Assistants and Store Managers
within the Retail & Consumer Products industry was on
the rise in August.
Applications per job ad
grew for many of the largest industries, with Information
& Communication Technology (8%), Trades & Services
(5%) and Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics (4%)
rising with applicant interest.
Figure
4: National SEEK job ad percentage change by industry
(August 2023 vs July 2023) – Ordered by job ad
volume
![](https://img.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/2309/5dmp4fdkfmkw2gpp.jpg)