SEEK NZ Employment Report - Restrictions continue to impact job ad numbers in October

STATE OF THE NATION: RESTRICTIONS CONTINUE TO IMPACT JOB AD NUMBERS

National job ad data shows a slight increase in the latest SEEK NZ Employment Report, with job ad volumes growing by 1% compared to September 2021.

Rob Clark, Country Manager, SEEK NZ, comments: “The latest SEEK NZ data shows that national job ad volumes have slightly increased by 1% month-on-month in October, however when compared to the same month in 2019, job ad numbers are 15% higher.

“October’s Employment data continues to be a tale of two parts. Continued restrictions have once again impacted the national job ad figures, with lockdowns extending out of Auckland into Waikato and Northland. This resulted in a drop in month-on-month job ad numbers in these areas; Auckland dropped by a further 1%, Waikato by 4% and Northland by 3%. If we exclude these regions, the rest of NZ saw a job ad volume increase of 3% as businesses prepare for the Summer holiday period.”

Despite visits to seek.co.nz remaining stable of around 5 million visits per month, applications per ad levels remain low in October.

Rob Clark continues: “Applications per job ad declined slightly in October by 2%. When we compare this number to October 2019, there were almost a third fewer applications per job ad. This demonstrates that Kiwis are not moving roles until there is more certainty, particularly in customer-facing roles.”

Figure 1: Auckland, Canterbury, Wellington, and NZ job ad growth and decline since October 2019.

Table 1: National and major region job ad growth/decline comparing October 2021 to: i) September 2021 (m/m) ii) October 2020 (y/y) and iii) October 2019 – all regions are listed in the table at the end of this report.

STATE OF THE REGIONS: RESTRICTIONS SPLITTING THE REGIONS

Figure 2: National SEEK NZ Job Ad percentage change by region (October 2021 vs September 2021)

As restrictions eased around the country throughout October, job ad growth followed.

Rob Clark continues: “The contrast between Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury is clear. Auckland’s job ad numbers continue to fall month-on-month and sit 3% lower than in the same month in 2019. Wellington and Canterbury have modest growth in October, but both are almost 30% higher when compared to two years ago.

“The good news is that throughout the pandemic, job ads have bounced back shortly after restrictions eased. When restrictions do lift for Auckland, Waikato and Northland, there will likely to be a surge for staff.

“Except for West Coast, which has the same number of roles, the rest of the regions are all showing positive job ad growth compared to two years ago, ranging from 17% to 89%.”  

STATE OF THE INDUSTRIES: RESTRICTIONS CONTINUE TO IMPACT INDUSTRIES

While some industries grew m/m and others declined, there are thousands of jobs available across different industries.

Rob Clark explains: “There is a bit of a mixed bag in terms of month-on-month growth or decline for the industries. The industry that had the most jobs available is Information & Communication Technology which saw a drop of 6% in October. Demand is still high, with over 3,000 roles available on seek.co.nz.

“Trades & Services is up 7%, Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics is down 6%, and Healthcare & Medical is up 3%.  All have between 2,000 – 3,000 roles available on SEEK right now.

“As we move through the traffic light system plus the time of the year, I expect some industries will see huge growth between now and the end of the year and into 2022.”

Below is an example of the types of roles most in-demand within the top four industries for October:

• Information & Communication Technology with roles for developers/programmers, software engineering, help desk & IT support, and programme & project management
• Trades & Services with roles in automotive trades, technicians, labourers, building trades, electricians, gardening & landscaping services, and security services.
• Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics with roles in warehousing, distribution & storage, machine operators, assembly & process work, couriers, drivers & postal services, and road transport.
• Healthcare & Medical includes roles for nursing – general medical, surgical, and community maternal & child health’, psychology, counselling & social work, and physiotherapy, OT & rehabilitation.

Figure 3: National SEEK NZ Job Ad percentage change by industry (October 2021 vs September 2021)

Table 2: National and regional job ad growth/decline comparing October 2021 to: i) September 2021 (y/y); ii) October 2020 (m/m) and; iii) October 2019

MEDIA NOTE: When reporting SEEK NZ data, we request that you attribute SEEK NZ as the source and refer to SEEK NZ as an employment marketplace.

Click for the latest SEEK Employment data or for more employment insights or career advice please visit SEEK’s Hiring Advice or SEEK's Career Advice.