MEDIA RELEASE
21st January 2011

Positive Finish for the 2010 Job Market

The 2010 job market finished on a high with a 5% increase in the number of new jobs listed on seek.co.nz in December. Data released today from the SEEK New Job Ad Index shows a seasonally adjusted increase of 29% in the number of new jobs on SEEK compared to this time last year.

This is an optimistic indicator for the year ahead, as Helen Souness, Senior Executive of SEEK comments; “December is traditionally a slower time for recruitment as companies often hold off hiring until January. That New Zealand has seen such positive growth in the number of new jobs ads listed is an encouraging indication that the labour market will continue to strengthen in 2011.”

This increase in new job ads is a nationwide trend, with Canterbury leading new job ad growth for the fourth consecutive month. The region experienced an increase of 91%, up a huge 50% on this time last year, predominantly due to the large reconstruction programmes in the city.

This positive outlook for the end of 2010 is reinforced by the SEEK Employment Index (SEI) with results showing a rise of 2.3% for December. The SEI shows the ratio between new job ads placed on seekco.nz and the number of applications for those positions. The number of job ads listed rose by nearly 5% in December, with the number of applications for these roles increasing by only 2.3%. This is the outcome jobseekers are looking for as there are more jobs being listed in proportion to the numbers of applications per job.
There has also been huge growth in specific industries in 2010. The biggest rise has been in Construction, which has experienced a 78% increase in the number of ads listed since 2009. This significant growth can in part be attributed to the impact of the earthquake in Christchurch and the extensive reconstruction programme in the area.

Other industries which have also seen substantial growth in 2010 include the IT and Technology industry, where the number of new jobs has increased by 46% and Accountancy roles where there has been a 35% increase in jobs ads.

“Many projects and plans for development in these sectors were frozen during the financial crisis, and as a result there were fewer positions advertised for IT and Accountancy. As we continue to move away from the low points of the recession these projects are now beginning to be rolled out and staff have been recruited to implement these,” comments Ms Souness.

For the first time last year recruitment agency positions made the list of most sought after employees for December.

“If recruitment agencies are hiring ready for January it is an indication they are expecting to be busy with increased levels of demand for their services. This is another positive indicator for Jobseekers that the labour market will continue to strengthen in 2011,” comments Ms Souness.

ENDS

© Scoop Media