SEEK NZ Employment Report June - Construction among industries to rise
JUNE 2023 FINDINGS
NATIONAL INSIGHTS:
Job ad volumes declined 3% month-on-month (m/m) and are 21% lower year-on-year (y/y).
Applications per job ad rose 10% m/m.
REGION INSIGHTS:
Auckland’s 4% drop in job ads m/m led the overall national decline, followed by Wellington (-3%).
Northland was the only region to record in increase in job ads m/m (3%) whereas Manawatu recorded no change m/m.
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS:
Most industries recorded a decline in job ads in June, notably Retail & Consumer Products (-13%), Healthcare & Medical (-10%) and Hospitality & Tourism (-13%).
Trades & Services (0.4%), Construction (3%) and Engineering (1%) were the largest industries to have an increase in job ad volume.
There were significant increases in applications per job ad in Healthcare & Medical (30%), Trades & Services (17%) and Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics roles (14%).
Rob Clark, SEEK NZ Country Manager says:
“With the economy now officially in a recession, cost consciousness would be front of mind for most organisations, particularly as we head into a new financial year, so it is unsurprising that hiring activity is slowing.
“The declining trend in job ad volumes is not evident across the board, with increases in demand for talent in industries such as Trades & Services, Construction, Engineering and Education & Training, and demand in some of the smaller regions of Manawatu and Gisborne also picking up.
“Candidates remain active on site, and applications per job ad have picked up in response to falling job ad volumes. Changing jobs remains the quickest way to attain a pay rise, which is likely driving many applications, though news of a recession may lead to hesitation among some candidates.”
NATIONAL INSIGHTS
Job ads have been in decline since April, falling 3% in June. Volumes are now 21% lower y/y but remain 5% ahead of June 2019 levels.
Applications per job ad continue to rise, up by 10% m/m in May, a trend that is in direct correlation to declining job ad numbers.
Figure 1: National SEEK job ad percentage change m/m June 2022 to June 2023.
Table 2: National and regional job ad growth/decline comparing June 2023 to: i) May 2023 (m/m) and ii) June 2022 (y/y).
REGION INSIGHTS
All but two regions recorded a decline in job ads in June. Northland rose 3% m/m and Manawatu recorded no change. The national decline was driven by a fall in job ads in Auckland (-4%), Wellington (-3%) and Canterbury (-3%).
Marlborough and Gisborne are the only two regions which have recorded y/y growth in job ads. While both regions are small in terms of job ad volumes, and therefore more susceptible to flux, it is notable that both regions recorded their highest levels in May, and small drops in June have not altered the high demand in either region. Marlborough is 3% higher y/y and Gisborne has risen 23% since June 2022.
In Gisborne in particular, the rise in job ads can likely be attributed to rebuilding efforts post Cyclone Gabrielle, with increases in roles within Trades & Services, Construction and Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics.
Applications per job ad rose m/m in all of the largest regions, including by 13% in Canterbury and 12% in Waikato.
Figure 2: Region job ad volumes – June 2019 to June 2023
Index: 100 = 2013 avg
Figure 3: National SEEK job ad percentage change by region (June 2023 vs May 2023).
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Trades & Services (0%), Construction (3%), Engineering (1%) and Education & Training (2%) were the largest industries to record an increase in job ad volume in June. Roles within the regional Construction sector, in particularly, rose 7% m/m, whereas those within metro Construction fell 3%.
Job ad volumes fell in most other industries, including Hospitality & Tourism which has declined significantly over the past quarter dropping 40% since March.
Healthcare & Medical job ad volume, which has been rising over the previous quarter, took a fall in June, dropping 10% m/m.
Applications per job ad within Healthcare & Medical, however, have seen a significant increase over the past few months, rising 30% in June alone. Roles within Physiotherapy, OT & Rehabilitation and General Medical & Surgical Nursing were among the most popular, rising 98% and 91% m/m respectively.
Figure 4: National SEEK job ad percentage change by industry (June 2023 vs May 2023) – Ordered by job ad volume
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