Job ads on SEEK continue upwards trend

The latest SEEK data has revealed there were 9.6 per cent more new job ads on SEEK this September than 12 months ago.

Janet Faulding, General Manager for SEEK New Zealand, said the New Zealand labour market remained strong this September, signalling favourable conditions for jobseekers.

“The New Zealand jobs market has continued to thrive this September, with strong annual advertising growth recorded on SEEK,” said Faulding.

“It will be interesting to see if our change in government effects hiring confidence across New Zealand in the coming months,” she added.

Nationally, the industries that offered the most job opportunities on SEEK this September, and their national average advertised annual salaries were:

1. Information & Communication Technology [ICT], $97,337
2. Trades & Services, $59,431
3. Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics, $64,841

“Professionals most in demand across the high employing ICT industry this September were Developers/Programmers, Business/Systems Analysts and Programme & Project Managers,” revealed Faulding.

While off a low base, the Mining, Resources & Energy industry enjoyed the top annual job ad growth on SEEK this September, up 47 per cent y/y.

“Solid annual growth in advertising on SEEK was also enjoyed this September by Community Services & Development [up 36 per cent y/y], Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics [up 36 per cent y/y] and Farming, Animals & Conservation [ up 24 per cent y/y],” Faulding continued.

MAJOR REGIONS

Job ads on SEEK rose year on year across every major region this September.

“Canterbury enjoyed the greatest and double-digit growth this September, up 10.1 per cent y/y,” said Faulding.

“This is the largest annual job ad growth recorded on SEEK for the Canterbury region since November 2014. Advertising became subdued across Canterbury in March 2015, when jobs supporting the earthquake rebuild started to subside, which correlated with lower year on year job ad volumes. 

“Industries that offered the most job opportunities across Canterbury this September were Trades & Services, Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics and Construction,” added Faulding.

“Job ads continued rise across the country’s largest labour markets of Auckland [up 4.1 per cent y/y] and Wellington [9.6 per cent y/y]. ICT continues to be the top advertising industry on SEEK for both regions,” said Faulding.

INDUSTRY FOCUS – RETAIL & CONSUMER PRODUCTS

New job ads on SEEK for the Retail & Consumer Products industry increased by just 4 per cent from July to September 2017, when compared to the same period last year.

“Annual growth on SEEK has continued to slow since 2014 for the July to September period for the Retail & Consumer Products industry,” said Faulding.

Graph 1.  Annual Job Ad Growth across New Zealand Retail & Consumer Products Industry on SEEK for July to September period

“Traditionally, the July to September period is a busy hiring time for the Retail & Consumer Products industry because hirers aim to have their seasonal teams in-place by late September and early October, ahead of the busy festive and Summer season,” said Faulding.

Over the past three months [July to September 2017], the most advertised roles on SEEK for the Retail & Consumer Products industry were:

• Retail Assistants
•  Store Managers
• Assistant Store Managers

The regions that offered the most job opportunities across the Retail & Consumer Products industry from July to September this year were Auckland, Canterbury, Wellington followed by Waikato and Otago.

“The Retail & Consumer Products industry has faced a number of headwinds in New Zealand, from subdued growth in wages and household incomes, rising property prices, as well as globalisation increasing competition for domestic retailers,” said Faulding.

“A concern for a number of smaller retailers is the arrival of international and local retail giants. Last year, Australian department store David Jones opened in Wellington and now Swedish fashion retailer H&M has just opened their third New Zealand store, so competition is on the rise,” revealed Faulding.

“Later this year, Australian make-up brand Mecca Maxima, fashion retailer Seed Heritage, and Kiwi clothing and equipment store Macpac, have also announced they will open stores in Wellington.

“The arrival of these big retailers is expected to further tighten margins for smaller retailers due to their competitive prices. Only time will tell which retailers succeed in New Zealand’s changing marketplace, especially since UK fashion giant Topshop closed their Kiwi stores this September, after a few years of trading in New Zealand,” Faulding concluded.

Employment Report Data 

Media note: When reporting SEEK data, you must attribute SEEK as the source.