The number of job ads in New Zealand rose by 1% in February from January and are up 15% compared to February 2019, according to data released this week by Seek. However, applications per job ad fell 7% in January after 12 months of consecutive increases — applications per job ad are reported with a one-month lag.

“Candidate activity fell for the first time in a year, with applications per job ad dropping 7% in January,” said Rob Clark, Seek New Zealand country manager. “However, application levels remain strong in comparison to pre-Covid after 12 months of steady growth.”

“Job ads rose only slightly in February due to increasing demand in the construction and consumer services sectors,” Clark said. “Hospitality and tourism, construction and retail and consumer products all recorded month-on-month rises in job ads, with retail assistants, chefs and hospitality managers all increasingly in demand.”

Hospitality and tourism job ads rose by 8%, while construction and legal job ads rose by 11% each.

The greatest increase in job ads among regions was Marlborough, where ads rose by 12% month over month. In both Auckland and Wellington, the numbers of ads were flat month over month.

“There was little to no change in job ad levels in the major regions, with Otago driving the increase and Hawkes Bay understandably recording significant decline,” Clark said. “The good news is that a bit of the heat has come out of the market since the vacancy peaks of 2022. There are still plenty of opportunities open for candidates, and businesses are increasingly seeing application levels rise.”