Number Of Kiwi Seeking New Job Opportunities Doubles

Four in ten Kiwi have plans to leave their jobs this year, according to a new Trade Me survey.

Trade Me Jobs’ eighth annual Jobs Market Insights Report, which explores the attitudes of job hunters and employers, found 40 per cent of employees wish to stage an exit from their current role in 2025 and 84 per cent were open to new opportunities.

Trade Me’s Head of Jobs Nicole Williams says “after a challenging 2024, where economic headwinds led to cautious hiring and employees holding on tightly to their roles, job seekers are now proactively seeking career growth and new opportunities.

“When we asked this same question last year, two in ten employees indicated an active intent to find a new job. To see that number now sitting at four in ten suggests a growing sense of optimism about what opportunities 2025 may present.

“However, this positive momentum is not without its challenges. Job seekers still report difficulties in finding new roles.”

Dissatisfaction with workplace culture (18%), feeling undervalued and unfulfilled (15% and 14% respectively) and burn out (12%) were the top reasons for leaving jobs while better pay (17%) career prospects (16%) were cited as key reasons for accepting a new role.

When we spoke with employers, half intend to replace departing staff and 35 per cent plan to hire to expand their business.

“Employers' pessimism centres on labour shortages with 33 per cent saying this was the biggest business challenge they face.”

Job listings rise in first quarter of the year

New Zealand’s labour remains tight however the number of job listings increased in the first quarter of 2025.

Between January and March the number of listings on Trade Me Jobs increased 16 per cent compared to the final quarter of last year.

Year-on-year listings fell by 32 per cent, with the largest falls recorded in Hawke’s Bay (-43%), Auckland (-41%) and Nelson/Tasman (-40%).

“If we look at the market from a year-on-year perspective, the landscape remains tough for job seekers but if we compare it to the tail end of 2024 the picture is a little brighter.”

Applications up as fierce job seeker competition remains

Supporting the survey findings, the number of job applications rose 8.0 per cent between January and March compared to the same time last year, and 3.7 per cent on the prior quarter. Nationwide there were an average of 34 applications per job listing.

Auckland is the most sought after region for a job with listings getting an average of 48 applications, however this is down from 49 from the final quarter of 2024.

Otago has the least competition from an applications perspective with an average of 17 applications per listing, followed by the West Coast (21) and Marlborough (22).

Overall, six of the top 10 most applied for jobs in the quarter were roles in the hospitality sector. The top three roles were for bespoke positions created for Trade Me’s annual Job Hunt January campaign.

Positive-ly Wellington

Nicole Williams said the data for Wellington was especially noteworthy with the Capital experiencing a 26 per cent uplift in job listings compared to the October-December quarter.

“The biggest contributor to this increase were roles in hospitality and tourism, which contributed to 23 per cent of the listings.

“This points to a recovery for the sector as inflation eases and people start to loosen the purse strings on non-essential spending such as dining out and travel, the need to hire grows.”

After being knocked off the top spot as the highest paying region in the last quarter by Auckland, Wellington also reclaimed the title in early 2025 with an average salary of $75,119, ahead of Tāmaki Makaurau’s $74,149.

Pay keeping pace with inflation, just

The average national salary of $72,660, is up 2.7 per cent year-on-year and stable on the prior quarter (-0.9%).

“It’s not surprising to see average pay start to flatten out with the steady increase in the number of people applying for vacant roles, it remains an employers market,” says Nicole Williams.

Agriculture, fishing and forestry ($71,044), banking, finance and insurance ($101,875), engineering ($94,209), manufacturing and operations ($65,346), office and administration ($64,983), property ($98,002), sales ($86,326) and transport and logistics ($68,139) all saw record average pays in the latest quarter.

Top 10 most applied for listings between January and March 2025

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