Construction drives Kiwi job numbers up

MEDIA RELEASE
11 July 2013

Construction drives Kiwi job numbers up

The New Zealand employment market is fizzing again with the number of vacancies advertised in the quarter to June up 11 per cent on a year ago, according to an analysis of almost 50,000 roles listed on Trade Me Jobs.

Head of Trade Me Jobs, Ginny Ryder, said the market had picked up in the second quarter after advertised job vacancies eased to 5.3 per cent year-on-year growth in March. “The buoyancy has been driven by robust growth in Auckland City and Canterbury, with listings in these areas up 15 per cent and 14 per cent respectively on a year ago.”

She said Auckland’s resurgent market was underpinned by strong activity in the construction sector with employers chasing builders and carpenters in particular, with advertised roles up 149%. “Employment sectors with close ties to the Super City’s well-publicised craving for residential property are screaming out for workers and the construction industry is scrambling to meet the insatiable demand.”

Christchurch City, which accounts for the bulk of Canterbury’s listing volumes (88%), saw advertised roles grow by 15 per cent year-on-year. “Activity in the trades and construction sectors of the employment market are providing a large chunk of the growth,” Ms Ryder said. “Advertised vacancies for building and carpentry roles are up 63 per cent on a year ago and this may point to a transition in the rebuild from planning into reality,” Ms Ryder said.

Ms Ryder said Wellington also looked to have turned the corner. “There are promising signs in the capital, and it was good to see a smidgen of year-on-year growth in job listings this quarter which is a far cry from the seven per cent decline we reported for the March quarter.” Wellington-based roles in trades (+40%), transport (+52%) and banking (+46%) all saw solid year-on-year increases.

In the sectors

Looking at the sectors of the Kiwi employment market, trades and services demonstrated the strongest year-on-year growth for the quarter with advertised roles up 34 per cent. “Across the country, the number of advertised roles for builders and carpenters was up a massive 119 per cent on a year ago, and employer demand for these workers is accelerating,” Ms Ryder said. “It’s definitely a good time to be a worker with these skills, especially in one of the three large metropolitan areas.”

The number of roles advertised in the construction and architecture sector had also swelled by 25 per cent but Ms Ryder said demand in this area was decelerating. On the flipside, the number of transport and logistics roles was up 30 per cent and “still growing”.

Hospitality had also grown strongly in the quarter, with advertised roles up 25 per cent on 2012. “The chatter about reductions in opening hours in places like Wellington and Christchurch doesn’t seem to have put a dampener on this sector of the employment market.”

Ms Ryder said IT roles remain “top of the pops” when it comes to the best paid jobs, filling four of the top five highest salaried roles advertised onsite. “The feedback we’re hearing from advertisers is that there’s increased demand for highly specialised IT roles. We know the market is very tight and good people continue to be as as rare as the proverbial hen’s teeth.”

In terms of vacancies, listings for IT roles dipped one per cent on a year ago.

The outlook

Ms Ryder said while there was no evidence of wage inflation yet, it was on the cards. “The continued rise in NZ employment confidence reported by Westpac McDermott Miller, coupled with the trends around competition for top talent, means wage growth looks likely later in the year.”

Trade Me Jobs employment survey results: April - June 2013
1. Listings growth by job: Q2/2013

3. Listings growth by region for Q2/2013

4. Average rates of pay by region (full-time jobs only): Q2/2013

About Trade Me Jobs 
More New Zealanders have visited Trade Me Jobs (www.trademe.co.nz/jobs) than any other NZ job site in 2013 according to Nielsen Online.

Full details of pay by profession for full-time jobs listed between January and June 2013 are in the Trade Me Jobs Salary Guide.

*Nielsen NetView: Monthly Unique Audience Report

ENDS

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