Job Applications Hit All Time High As Number Of Roles Continues To Drop

With fewer job listings, the number of applications has surged, making competition for job-hunters fiercer than ever, according to Trade Me Jobs’ latest data.

The number of job applications rose 61.6 per cent in April to June compared to the same time last year, while listings were down across all regions and industries.

“This increase in applications shows that it is becoming increasingly harder to secure a new role with less and less options available to jobseekers. With the unemployment rate reaching levels not seen since 2021 - it’s a tough time out there for anyone on the hunt for a job but it is a great time for businesses who are looking for talent,” said Trade Me Jobs Sales Director, Matt Tolich.

“Among the highest average applications per listing were HospitalityTourism, Transport & Logistics and Retail. These are often industries that have more entry level roles, and we can see waiting staff, kitchen staff and housekeeping had the highest average of applications per listing.

“Hospitality businesses in particular may not have the need for additional staff as consumers cut back on non-essential spending like eating out and alcohol consumption,” said Matt Tolich.

Overall the most applied for roles in the April to June quarter, included a Donations Collector in Invercargill, Part Time Checkout Operators in Manukau City and a Support Worker in Matamata.

Salaries hit record with less entry-level positions available

The average national salary hit a record high at $72,717, which is up 3.7 per cent year on year - however this increase is mainly due to a drop of lower-paying job listings.

“Driving up the national salary is the fact that we are seeing less low paid jobs. When looking at roles that pay less than $60,000, we’ve seen a drop of 60% compared to last year, which could be contributing to the record number of Kiwis eager to move to Australia recently, lured by promises of higher pay,” said Matt Tolich

“However, it's a positive sign for those in intermediate and senior roles. New Zealand employers are still offering competitive salaries to keep pace with inflation and remain competitive," explained Tolich.

Record salaries have been seen across regions including: Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Gisborne, Manawatu/Whanganui, Northland, Otago, and Southland.

Wellington still reeling from public sector job cuts

Matt Tolich said the quarterly data for Wellington highlighted the continued impact of public sector job cuts.

"Compared to last year, job listings for roles in government and council have plummeted by 66.7% across the country," said Tolich. "Wellington, in particular, experienced the second-largest drop in listings year on year, with a decline of 43.7%."

"This quarter we are starting to witness the full extent of the impact as many of those jobs are in the process of being cut or have already been removed."

With the decline in job listings, the number of job applications for government and council positions in Wellington surged by 119.2% year on year.

Number of job listings continues to drop

The total number of job listings decreased by 39.7 per cent compared to the previous year. This decline was influenced by Auckland, which experienced the largest drop at 47.2 per cent.

“We would expect to see fewer job listings given the economy and New Zealand floating in and out of recession. This environment creates a level of uncertainty, making employers hesitant to hire new staff, or even fill a role if someone ends up leaving,” said Tolich.

“New Zealand is a nation of small businesses who will be watching economic indicators such as interest rates and the rate of inflation closely for signs of relief, which will help to boost business confidence that a recovery is coming.”

The largest year on year decreases in job listings were in the following industries: Government & Council (-66.7%), IT (-53.2%), Customer Service (-52.3%), and Retail (-51.6%).

Within the Customer Service sector, Call Centre roles saw the biggest decline (-63.3%), while within the Retail sector, Merchandising roles experienced the largest drop (-56.7%).

“However if we look at the data for June only we can see a small bright spot - with listings increasing month on month in some of the smaller south island regions like West Coast, Southland and Nelson/Tasman,” he added.

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