Vacancies rise 0.5 per cent in September

Media release

15 October 2015

Vacancies rise 0.5 per cent in September – MBIE Jobs Online Report

The number of job vacancies advertised online rose by 0.5 per cent in September, while there was a 1.9 per cent rise across the year, according to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE) latest Jobs Online report.

The September rise was driven by increased vacancies in accounting, human resources, legal and administration (up 1.6 per cent) and thehospitality and tourism industry (up 0.7 per cent). However, there were decreases in the sales, retail and marketing (down 1.0 per cent) and information technology (down 0.9 per cent) industries.

Most of the occupation groups had small increases – clerical and administration vacancies rose by 1.3 per cent and machinery drivers and operators by 1.2 per cent. Small decreases were seen in vacancies for community and personal services (down 0.5 per cent) and managers (down 0.2 per cent).

The largest increases occurred in the lower skill levels with unskilled vacancies up 1.0 per cent and low skilled vacancies up 0.8 per cent. Highly skilled vacancies increased by 0.1 per cent.

Of the 10 regions, seven experienced an increase in vacancies. Otago/Southland saw the largest increase (up 1.9 per cent), followed by Manawatu-Wanganui/Taranaki (up 1.6 per cent) and the Bay of Plenty (up 1.5 per cent).

Vacancies in Canterbury fell by 1.6 per cent in September, and by 9.8 per cent over the year. Growth in the Canterbury construction sector has slowed over the past month and year, as the Canterbury rebuild reaches its peak.

MBIE’s Labour Market Trends Manager, David Paterson says, “The growth in the number of vacancies overall has slowed down this year, but it is still positive in most regions and industries.”

The online vacancy market is broadening to include an increasing number of vacancies across all occupations and skill levels. As a consequence, this month’s report includes occupation groups and skill levels that were not previously reported.

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