Latest figures suggest a robust job market

MEDIA RELEASE
5 October 2012

Latest figures suggest a robust job market

The local job market is proving robust with advertised vacancies up 12.3 per cent on a year ago, according to an analysis of 46,000 roles on Trade Me Jobs over the quarter.

Head of Trade Me Jobs Pete Ashby said underlying confidence was surprisingly strong. “We’ve seen the market rebound to double digit growth. The Canterbury rebuilding efforts continue to underpin this growth, but most segments appear in good heart.”

By the regions

The Christchurch rebuild effort continues to gain momentum with the roadmap release providing a tailwind. ”Early stage planning jobs continued to increase, but we’ve seen a real swing to more coal-face rebuilding roles”. Demand for construction project managers and supervisors grew 88 per cent and 356 per cent respectively.

“The broader Canterbury economy is going gangbusters. It appears that population growth and rising house prices are the driving factors behind sharply increased listings in Ashburton and Timaru”.

Conversely Auckland provides some cause for concern. “The City of Sails has typically been the employment engine room, so to be up only 2.7 per cent is a little disappointing. However this time last year the country was in the midst of a RWC-inspired tourism and hospitality boom, so this has certainly weighed on employment numbers in this market.”

Sector by sector

Overall, the top three sectors in terms of growth compared to a year ago were construction and architecture (up 94%), healthcare (up 49.9%) and agriculture, fisheries and forestry (up 36.7%).

Mr Ashby said he expected growth in the healthcare sector, noting that the country’s aging population implied an increasing demand for staff in the industry. “In particular we’ve noticed a rise in demand for nurses and midwifes, up 81% on a year earlier”.

On the flipside, listings in HR & recruitment have sunk by 24%. “The all-of-government project has caused uncertainty for recruiters, especially in the capital city. Now that the results are known, we expect recruiters will be able to plan with a little more conviction.”

Crystal ball gazing

Mr Ashby said there could be a few contrasting influences on the job market in the coming months. “The kiwi dollar’s rise shows no signs of abating, especially with the RBA cut last week and on-going global uncertainty. This could hamper our export sector.”

“On the plus side however, house prices now appear to be on the up across the country. Along with employment, these could prove a key contributor to consumer confidence.”

-ends-

CONTACT: Pete Ashby, Head of Trade Me Jobs, Ph 021 240 8028
MORE INFO: The full Trade Me Jobs employment survey results are set out below.

Trade Me Jobs employment survey results: July – September 2012

1. Listings growth by job: Q3/2012

Job Change vs. Q2/2012 Change vs. Q3/2011
Accounting - 2.5% - 12.1%
Agriculture, fishing & forestry 10.5 % 36.7 %
Banking, finance & insurance 16.3 % 0.2 %
Construction & architecture 17.4 % 94.4 %
Customer Service 8.0 % - 0.9%
Education 1.9 % - 13.0%
Engineering 3.7 % 16.6 %
Government & council 11.5 % - 11.5%
Healthcare 25.3 % 49.9 %
Hospitality & tourism 13.2 % 6.2 %
HR & recruitment 4.2 % - 24.1%
IT 10.0 % - 12.8%
Legal - 11.7% - 6.6%
Manufacturing & operations 6.0 % 6.0 %
Marketing, media & comms 18.8 % - 5.6%
Office & administration 5.0 % 17.0 %
Retail 19.2 % 32.3 %
Sales 8.1 % - 1.2%
Science & technology 3.6 % 18.1 %
Trades & services 9.2 % 32.4 %
Transport & logistics 7.0 % 25.5 %
Overall 10.1% 12.3%

2. Average rates of pay by job (full-time jobs only): Q3/2012

Highest paid Pay rate ($)

1 IT Architects 135,859
2 IT Project management 125,758
3 IT Management 120,439
4 Doctors and specialists 114,874
5 IT Functional consultant 114,125
Lowest paid Pay rate ($)

1 Kitchen staff 31,957
2 Bar staff and Baristas 33,193
3 Caregivers 33,824
4 Receptionist & front desk 34,422
5 Retail Assistant 34,429



3. Listings growth by region for Q3/2012

Region Change vs. Q2/2012 Change vs. Q3/2011
Auckland 13.6 % 2.7 %
Bay of Plenty 1.7 % 22.2 %
Canterbury 11.1 % 43.7 %
Gisborne 39.9 % 37.1 %
Hawke’s Bay 0.0 % 17.6 %
Manawatu / Wanganui 6.1 % 13.2 %
Marlborough 29.1 % 49.8 %
Nelson / Tasman 4.3 % 27.2 %
Northland 17.5 % 11.6 %
Otago 1.5 % 47.5 %
Southland 29.6 % 19.5 %
Taranaki 0.6 % 22.6 %
Waikato 6.9 % 12.3 %
Wellington 6.3 % - 2.5%
West Coast 8.4 % 19.0 %
National 10.1 % 12.3 %

4. Average rates of pay by region (full-time jobs only)

Highest paid Pay rate ($)

1 Wellington City 75,290
2 Auckland City 72,901
3 Upper Hutt 62,430
4
5 Whangarei
Timaru 62,044
60,824

Lowest paid Pay rate ($)

1 Mackenzie 40,039
2 Waitaki 43,713
3 Selwyn 45,479
4 Gore 46,370
5 Kapiti Coast 46,719

NB: Segments with less than 50 jobs excluded.

About Trade Me Jobs
More Kiwis visited Trade Me Jobs (www.trademe.co.nz/jobs) than any other job board so far in 2012 (Source: Nielsen Net Ratings). Full details of pay by profession for full-time jobs listed between January and June 2012 are in the Trade Me Jobs Salary Guide.

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