Employment Reports, News

SEEK NZ Employment Report - monthly and quarterly update

July 14, 2020

Key insights – June 2020

STATE OF THE NATION

SEEK jobs ads are up by 46.9% month-on-month
The sectors making the largest contribution to month-on-month job ad volume growth are: Trades & Services (69% m/m) Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics (65% m/m), Information & Communication Technology (49% m/m), Administration & Office Support (147%m/m) and Retail & Consumer Products (118% m/m).

STATE OF THE REGIONS

All regions saw an increase in job ad volumes in June, however the biggest growth was seen in Waikato (95%), Bay of Plenty (77%) and Otago (72%)

Key insights – Quarter Two

STATE OF THE NATION (Q2 2020 compared to Q2 2019)

SEEK job ad volumes decreased for the quarter, down -57.4% nationally
Industries which made the largest contribution to job ad volumes in the quarter were Trades & Services (-24%), Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics (-34%), Information & Communication Technology (-42%), Administration & Office Support (-56%) and Retail & Consumer Products (-40%)
Industries least impacted in Quarter Two were Community Services & Development (-25.8%), Farming, Animals & Conservation (-35.8%), Healthcare & Medical (-39.6%) and Real Estate & Property (-41.1%).

STATE OF THE REGIONS (Q2 2020 compared to Q2 2019)

The main metropolitan centres around New Zealand were impacted the most during Quarter Two, with decreased job ad volumes in Auckland (-62.5%), Canterbury (-61.7%), Otago (-56.1%) and Wellington (-54.1%)
In the regions, Gisborne (-27.8%), Tasman (-33.5%) and Manawatu (-34.1%) were the least impacted in job ad volumes for the quarter.

June showing signs of improvement after a challenging quarter

SEEK New Zealand General Manager, Janet Faulding says: “SEEK job ads were up by 46.9% in June 2020, which should give businesses and job seekers reasons to feel cautiously optimistic after a challenging quarter. The positive growth in June is directly linked to restrictions easing, and the will of the government to get the economy moving and get people back into jobs.

“Several industry sectors made substantial contributions to overall job ad volumes throughout the month, including Trades & Services, up 69%, Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics, up 65%, and Information, Communication & Technology, up 49% month-on-month in June 2020.

“June also saw job ad volumes grow in the main metropolitan centres, with Otago up 72%, Auckland and Canterbury up 48% and Wellington up 36% month-on-month. Job seekers in these areas should feel confident of their prospects and expect more opportunities for employment to open in the coming months.”

Figure 1: Job ad percentage change by region June 2020 vz May 2020

Figure 2: Job ad percentage change by industry June 2020 vs May 2020

A challenging second quarter

Further comments from SEEK New Zealand General Manager, Janet Faulding:

“When taking a quarterly view, job ad data is sobering, with New Zealand showing a 57.4% decrease in job ad volumes during April, May and June 2020 compared to the second quarter of 2019. It’s difficult to draw too many comparisons against Quarter Two 2020 data, as 2019 was a much different employment market.

“That being said, some industries performed better than others during Quarter Two, and while all sectors declined in job ad volume, some fared better than others. Industries which made the largest contribution to job ad volumes in the quarter were Trades & Services (-24% y/y), Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics (-34% y/y) and Information & Communication Technology (-42% y/y). We attribute these figures to the fact that these industries operated throughout Alert Level 3 and 4, with essential services and supply chains continuing to operate during some of the time social isolation restrictions were in place.”

Figure 3: Job ad percentage change by region April – June 2020 vs April – June 2019

Figure 4: Job ad percentage change by industry April – June 2020 vs April – June 2019

Download SEEK Employment Data here