MEDIA RELEASE
23 November 2016
SEEK job ads up 9.9 per cent year on year nationally, Waikato region is thriving
Job advertisements on SEEK rose 9.9 per cent this October when compared to the same period last year.
Janet Faulding, General Manager for SEEK New Zealand, said it’s great to see the Waikato job market thriving, which has
contributed to the boost in national advertising growth on SEEK.
“Advertising across the Waikato region on SEEK has grown 17.1 per cent year on year [y/y] this October with job ad
growth coming from a broad range of industries in the region,” Faulding said.
Waikato industries, in rank order, that had the greatest number of new job ads on SEEK this August to October 2016 and
their average advertised salaries were:
1. Trades & Services ($55,045 )
2. Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics ($70,069)
3. Healthcare & Medical ($72,790 )
4. Administration & Office Support ($48,779 )
5. Sales ($71,052)
“The building boom across Waikato is helping drive Trades & Services job ad growth. Electricians, Building Trades and Labourers are in strongest demand,” Faulding revealed.
“Mining, Resources and Energy industry has also had strong growth, up 44 per cent y/y, but is a smaller advertising
industry, so there are less employment opportunities on offer than other industries in the region. Most of these
advertised Mining, Resources and Energy jobs are technical roles supporting infrastructure development, such as Fault
Technician, Wireline Manager and Glove & Barrier Line Mechanic,” Faulding continued.
Graph one: SEEK New Job Ads Growth, Waikato, October 2016 vs October 2015
NEW ZEALAND JOB MARKET
Job ads on SEEK had mixed results across New Zealand’s major regions this October, which is reflective of their unique
labour and economic conditions.
“Wellington enjoyed solid advertising growth, with job ads on SEEK up 15.4 per cent y/y this October.
“Wellington’s uplift on SEEK was driven by top advertisers Information & Communication Technology [ICT] [up 3 per cent y/y], Administration & Office Support [up 12 per cent y/y], Trades & Services [up 61 per cent y/y] and Government & Defence [up 19 per cent y/y],” said Faulding.
“Auckland advertising on SEEK rose 11.2 per cent y/y this October, with the greatest number of employment opportunities
coming from ICT [up 5 per cent y/y], Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics [up 15 per cent y/y], Accounting [up 7 per cent y/y] and Trades & Services [up 32 per cent y/y].
“While Canterbury remained the weakest major New Zealand labour market this October, with job ads on SEEK down 3.1 per
cent y/y. Trades & Services, Construction and Engineering were the highest advertisers for the Canterbury region this October.
“With our country’s recent earthquakes and flooding we expect this will have an impact on the demand of certain roles
that support the clean-up, strengthening and rebuild work that will occur,” Faulding continued.
CANDIDATE AVAILABILITY FOR MAJOR JOB MARKETS
At a national level, there has been a y/y increase of 2.6 per cent in the SEEK Employment Index this October, which
points to favourable conditions for job seekers as there is slightly less applications, for each role. However,
underneath this national figure there is a clear difference in candidate availability at a regional level.
It was a hirer’s market in Canterbury this October when compared to the same period last year. For each job advertised
there was a higher than average number of candidates applying, creating more competition for job seekers but providing
hirers with a larger pool of candidates to choose from.
“It’s important for job seekers in a hirer’s market, to have an up-to-date SEEK Profile to help them get noticed by
prospective employers because they’re applying for jobs in a highly competitive market,” Faulding said.
“In Auckland and Wellington this October, there were reasonable competition conditions for job seekers and employers,”
Faulding continued.