SEEK NZ Employment Report - job ads remain higher than pre-pandemic levels

Rob Clark, SEEK NZ Country Manager says:

“Comparisons to last year were bound to be stark as April 2022 was near the peak of the Great Job Boom. But with job ads remaining 15% higher than the pre-COVID levels, it is fair to say that there is still plenty of demand for workers.

“The main difference we are seeing this year is the rise of applications per job ad, which have grown eleven out of the past twelve months. This shows that candidates are applying for roles in increasing numbers even when job ad volumes are also rising, particularly in some of the largest industries.

“There is significant competition for roles in the Trades & Services industry, where applications per job ad are now at record levels. Levels are now  higher than at the start of the pandemic, when hiring came to a near halt.”

^{* Applications per job ad are reported with a one-month lag. Applications per job ad data referenced in this report refers to March data.}

NATIONAL INSIGHTS

Job ads fell for the first time this year, dropping just 1% m/m. They remain 15% higher than April 2019, despite being down 16% y/y.

Applications per job ad increased by 12%, driven by a rise in applications in the Trades & Services industry and Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics.

Figure 1: National SEEK job ad percentage change m/m April 2022 to April 2023.

Table 2: National and regional job ad growth/decline comparing April 2023 to: i) March 2023 (m/m) and ii) April 2022 (y/y).

REGION INSIGHTS

Many regions recorded an increase in job ads in April, including Wellington (2%), Bay of Plenty (4%) and Manawatu (5%). Gisborne recorded the greatest increase (15%), followed by Southland (14%).

The national decline was driven by job ad decline in Auckland (-4%) and Canterbury (-5%).

Apart from Auckland, which is now 4% lower, all regions are recording higher job ad levels than pre-COVID.

Applications per job ad rose by 29% in Otago, 20% in Canterbury and 10% in Auckland, whereas in Marlborough and West Coast they fell 1% in both regions.

Figure 2: Major region job ad volumes – April 2020 to April 2023. Index 100 = 2013 average

Figure 3: National SEEK job ad percentage change by region (April 2023 vs April 2023).

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

Hospitality & Tourism drove the decline in job ads overall, falling a notable 20% from March, followed by ads in Retail & Consumer products, down 5% m/m.

Healthcare & Medical and Administration & Office Support were the largest industries to record an increase m/m, rising 2% and 1% respectively.

Applications per job ad rose 33% in the Trades & Services industry m/m, and are now at record levels, higher than those recorded in mid-2020 when applications far outweighed job ads. This includes an 88% increase in applications for Labourer roles, 60% in Cleaning Services jobs and 30% increase for Technicians and Electricians.

Figure 4: National SEEK job ad percentage change by industry (April 2023 vs April 2023) – Ordered by job ad volumeClick here for the latest SEEK Employment Report data or for more employment insights or career advice please visit SEEK’s Hiring Advice or SEEK's Career Advice.

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