February vacancies fall but upwards trend continues

Media release

19 March 2014

February vacancies fall but upwards trend continues

The number of jobs advertised online fell by 2.0 per cent in February 2014, following a 7.4 per cent growth in January, according to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s latest Jobs Online report.

The seasonally adjusted results show this month’s decline was driven by decreases in skilled vacancies in most industries. The largest falls were in the healthcare and medical industry (down 4.4 per cent compared to January), followed by the accounting, HR, legal and administration industries (down 3.4 per cent) and IT (down 2.5 per cent) industry. In contrast, vacancies in the hospitality and tourism industry were up by 9.9 per cent and the construction and engineering industry increased by 2.4 per cent.

Skilled vacancies were down in most regions. Canterbury had the largest decrease at 4.8 per cent, followed by the South Island (excluding Canterbury) which was down 4.5 per cent. North Island (excluding Auckland) was the only region to experience growth (up 3.1 per cent).

Ministry Labour Market and Business Performance Manager David Paterson says that despite the fall this month, the overall trend remains positive and annual growth is strong in most industries and regions.

“Business confidence is at its highest level since 1994, according to the latest ANZ Business Outlook. Optimism in the business sector is likely to support growth in vacancies in the coming months,” he says.

Over the year to February, skilled vacancies increased by 16.4 per cent, and all vacancies increased by 18.1 per cent. The South Island (excluding Canterbury) had the biggest growth in skilled vacancies (up 25.3 per cent) over the year, followed by the Auckland region (up 17.1 per cent). Skilled vacancies in Canterbury grew by 7.9 per cent over this period.

More information on Jobs Online is available at www.dol.govt.nz/publications/jol/index.asp.

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NOTES:

Jobs Online provides information on the demand for labour by monitoring the number of jobs advertised on the main internet job boards. Jobs Online is adjusted for seasonal variations.

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