Job ads on job board Seek New Zealand were up by 37% in October 2021 when compared to October 2020 and up 15% when compared to October 2019.

When compared to the previous month, job ads were up 1%. Applications per job ad increased 2% over the month and were down 30% compared to the same month two years ago.

Year-on-year growth was highest in Marlborough (65%), followed by Canterbury (59%) and Bay of Plenty (56%).

Rob Clark, Country Manager, Seek New Zealand, said, “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.”

Clark continued, “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.”

Monthly growth in job ads was highest in Hawkes Bay (11%) followed by Southland (9%). The advertising, arts and media sector saw the highest monthly growth (26%) followed by mining, resources and energy (15%).