Big boost in job opportunities for Kiwis

MEDIA RELEASE

22 March 2017

Big boost in job opportunities for Kiwis, job ads up 17.3 per cent

New job advertisements on SEEK rose 17.3 per cent this February when compared to the same period last year.

The industries offering the most job opportunities on SEEK across New Zealand this February, and their average advertised annual salaries were:

• Information & Communication Technology, $92,700

• Trades & Services, $59,423

• Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics, $66,805

Janet Faulding, General Manager for SEEK New Zealand, said this February advertising on SEEK was fuelled by solid job ad uplift across the country.

“Advertising on SEEK has increased across most of New Zealand’s major regions this February, with Auckland enjoying a staggering 19.2 per cent year on year [y/y] increase,” said Faulding

“In Wellington, advertising on SEEK also continued to rise, up 11.8 per cent y/y. However, in Canterbury job ads dipped 2.6 per cent y/y this February,” she added.

Information & Communication Technology [ICT] remained the top hiring industry on SEEK for Auckland and Wellington this February.

The most sought after ICT professionals in Auckland, and their average advertised annual salaries on SEEK were:

• Developers & Programmers, $92,927

• IT Business System Analysts, $92,202

• Help Desk & IT Support, $55,995

While in Wellington, the most in-demand ICT professionals and their average advertised annual salaries on SEEK were:

• Developers & Programmers, $93,751

• Programme & Project Managers, $105,277

• IT Business/System Analysts, $89,792

The top performing industry for the Canterbury region this February was Trades & Services. The most advertised jobs on SEEK for this industry and their average advertised annual salaries were:

• Electricians, $66,721

• Automotive Mechanics, $61,179

• Labourers, $28,821

JOB AD GROWTH

“February was a great month to be jobseeker in New Zealand, because there was strong year on year job ad growth across several large employing industries on SEEK beyond ICT,” said Faulding.

“These industries included Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics [up 26 per cent y/y], Healthcare & Medical [up 23 per cent y/y], Trades & Services [up 18 per cent y/y] and Construction [up 12 per cent y/y].

“The large industries hiring now reflect what we’re seeing in our economy, which is population growth putting pressure on our services and infrastructure. This is driving demand for across Construction, Trades and Services and Healthcare, which are all at the front line of servicing our growing population,” Faulding continued.

CANDIDATE AVAILABILITY FOR MAJOR JOB MARKETS

The New Zealand SEEK Employment Index has enjoyed a y/y increase of 8.1 per cent this February. This 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 February 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 February, there were reasonable competition conditions for job seekers and employers,” Faulding continued.

INDUSTRY FOCUS

At a national level, job ads on SEEK for Human Resources [HR] & Recruitment industry grew 32 per cent this February when compared to 12 months earlier.

HR and Recruitment professionals were in high demand on SEEK this February and their average advertised annual salaries on SEEK were:

• Generalist HR professionals, $80,101
•
• Agency Recruitment Consultants, $71,895
•
• Occupational Health & Safety Specialists, $91,825
•
• In-house Recruitment Consultants, $69,597

The national average advertised annual salary on SEEK for HR and Recruitment professionals is $81,893.

“It’s interesting that Generalist HR professional are the most advertised HR and Recruitment job title on SEEK this February. This could indicate that hirers are looking for multi-skilled practitioners to take part in the full spectrum of HR activities across a business, including recruitment, employee relations issues, coaching, leadership development and change management,” revealed Faulding.

“It’s not surprising to see Recruitment Consultants [internal and external] among the top advertised HR roles on SEEK, this could indicate the Kiwi businesses are looking to take on more employees, which is reflected in our rising job ad volume on SEEK,” she added.

“The greatest number of job opportunities on SEEK for the HR & Recruitment professionals were seen in Auckland this February, with job ads rising 39 per cent y/y.

“The next top region for jobs in this sector was Wellington [up 12 per cent y/y], followed by Canterbury, despite job ads dipping 14 per cent y/y,” Faulding concluded.

ends

© Scoop Media