SEEK NZ Employment Report - Applications per job ad continued to rise in October
OCTOBER 2022 KEY FINDINGS
NATIONAL INSIGHTS:
- Job ads fell 1% month-on-month (m/m) and are 16% higher year-on-year (y/y).
- Applications per job ad increased 6% from the month prior.
REGION INSIGHTS:
- Marlborough and Manawatu recorded the greatest m/m rise in job ads, up 11% and 9% respectively.
- Gisborne and Bay of Plenty recorded the greatest decline in job ads, down 16% and 7% respectively m/m.
- Auckland and Tasman recorded no change in job ad volume in October.
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS:
- Most industries recorded a decline in job ads in October, with Hospitality & Tourism (-6%), Trades & Services (-3%) and Retail & Consumer Products (-4%) the greatest contributors to overall decline.
- Job ads in Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics rose 1%, while Information & Communication Technologies recorded no m/m change.
- Applications per job ad increased 26% m/m for Healthcare & Medical roles.
Rob Clark, SEEK NZ Country Manager says:
“Job ads remained relatively steady in October, falling only slightly month-on-month on a national level.
“Monthly declines were recorded in Tourism & Hospitality and Retail & Consumer Products, but given both industries were at record level volumes in August, the drops were really just the market softening, rather than a material decline.
“While job ads remain historically very high, applications per job ad are edging closer to pre-pandemic levels, or in the case of Healthcare & Medical job ads, have greatly outstripped traditional volumes.”
NATIONAL INSIGHTS
Job ads fell for a second consecutive month, dropping 1%, but are 16% higher y/y and 39% higher than October 2019.
The overall decline was driven by declines in job ads in Hospitality & Tourism (-6%), Trades & Services (-3%) and Retail & Consumer Products (-4%).
Applications per job ad have been rising since February, and increased another 6%, bringing levels to their highest point in 17 months.
Figure 1: National SEEK job ad percentage change m/m October 2021 to October 2022
Table 2: National and regional job ad growth/decline comparing October 2022 to: i) September 2022 (m/m); ii) October 2021 (y/y) and iii) October 2019.
REGION INSIGHTS
Four regions recorded an increase in job ads in October, led by Marlborough which rose 11% and Manawatu which increased 9% m/m. Job ads in Marlborough are now the highest ever recorded in SEEK history. Auckland recorded no change from September to October.
Job ads in two regions are now lower y/y, with job ads in Gisborne 20% fewer than October last year, and in Bay of Plenty down 2%.
Applications per job ad rose in all but three regions: Otago and Gisborne which decreased 3%, and Taranaki which was down 4%. West Coast applications per job ad recorded the greatest increase, rising 15% from the month prior.
Figure 2: Major region job ad volumes – October 2019 to October 2022
Figure 3: National SEEK job ad percentage change by region (October 2022 vs September 2022)
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Five industries recorded a rise in job ads in October, including Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics (1%), Sales (1%) Farming, Animals and Conservation (2%), Sport & Recreation (6%) and Real Estate & Property (5%).
The industries driving the overall decline were Hospitality & Tourism (-6%), Trades & Services (-3%) and Retail & Consumer Products (-4%). Information & Communication Technologies recorded no m/m change in job ads.
Applications per job ad rose m/m for most industries, including Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics (8%), Trades & Services (8%), Information & Communication Technologies (7%) and Healthcare & Medical (26%).
Figure 4: National SEEK job ad percentage change by industry (October 2022 vs September 2022) – Ordered by job ad volume
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.
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.
