Boost in job opportunities for Kiwis in March, South Island thrives

New job ads on SEEK rose 11.3 per cent this March when compared to the same period last year, with the South Island enjoying strong advertising growth.

Janet Faulding, General Manager for SEEK NZ, said job ads on SEEK across the South Island increased 15 per cent year on year [y/y] this March.

“The South Island regions that enjoyed the strongest job ad growth on SEEK this March were Tasman [up 49 per cent y/y], Marlborough [up 45 per cent y/y] and Otago [up 34 per cent y/y],” revealed Faulding.

“This is great news for jobseekers because job opportunities are not just isolated to one region or industry.”

The industries across the South Island that offered the most job opportunities on SEEK, and professionals most in-demand this March were:

• Trades & Services [up 16 per cent y/y]
  • Auto Mechanics and Electricians

• Manufacturing Transport & Logistics [up 49 per cent y/y]
  • Warehouse, Storage & Distribution workers and Machine Operators

• Administration & Office Support [up 3 per cent y/y]
  • Administrative Assistants and PA, EA & Secretarial professionals

The Canterbury labour market is also showing signs of improvement.

“Job ads across Canterbury were up 6.3 per cent y/y this March, which could indicate the region's jobs market is stabilising after being subdued since March 2015,” 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 on SEEK over the past two years.

“Fuelling this latest growth on SEEK across Canterbury are the following industries; Trades & Services [up 3 per cent y/y], Manufacturing Transport & Logistics [up 28 per cent y/y] and Construction [down 7 per cent],” Faulding continued.

“Construction job ads in Canterbury may have dipped but the sector mains the second largest advertiser on SEEK for the region.”

In other major regions across the country, advertising on SEEK:

• Increased 10.9 per cent y/y in Auckland
• Increased 11.3 per cent y/y in Wellington

Across New Zealand, the industries offering the most job opportunities on SEEK in March were:

• Information & Communication Technology, up 10 per cent y/y
• Trade & Services, up 19 per cent y/y
• Administration & Officer Support, up 12 per cent y/y
• Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics, up 30 per cent y/y

CANDIDATE AVAILABILITY

Nationally there has been a y/y increase of 0.2 per cent in the SEEK Employment Index this March, which points to reasonable conditions for job seekers as there were more slightly more applications for each role.

However, underneath this national figure there is a clear difference in candidate availability at a regional level.

“In all major regions, Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury conditions have become more reasonable for hirers. For each job advertised there was a higher number of candidates applying, creating more competition for job seekers but providing hirers with a larger pool of candidates to choose from,” Faulding concluded.