Kiwis enjoyed a 4.4% rise in pay during the last year, as the ICT industry continues to smash expectations and beat the national average.

According to data released by job source SEEK, salaries grew by over $2,000 in 2013, with the average Kiwi pay packet increasing by 3% to $74,002 per annum across jobs advertised on www.seek.co.nz.

Yet for the ICT sector, New Zealanders enjoyed an average salary of $91,348 as of December last year, representing a sharp spike of progress during the past twelve months.

The industries paying the highest salaries in 2013 on seek.co.nz were dominated by ICT, Construction and Consulting & Management - all offering average salaries above $90,000.

“With many economists predicting that the New Zealand economy will grow at its fastest pace since 2007 this year, we expect 2014 to be a strong year for the job market and salary growth,” says Janet Faulding, General Manager - SEEK New Zealand.

“Some job hunters may be willing to switch employers without a pay rise, providing other perks such as flexible hours or health insurance are offered.

"Some however, will want an increase of cold hard cash in their pay packet at the end of the month -with the opportunity to earn a higher salary regularly topping the list of factors most likely to make people jump ship."

According to the figures, an 3% increase in average salaries for jobs listed on seek.co.nz equates to an additional $185 every month.

"This makes a significant difference to New Zealander’s spending ability, as highlighted by the recent increase in spending, with record retail sales over the holidays,” Faulding adds.

Location, location, location...

Interestingly, it wasn’t the big cities to lead the way in salary growth over the last 12 months, with Gisborne’s average pay packet rising a significant 10% to $75,000 while Marlborough grew by 8% to over $65,000 - driven by a particularly strong demand for quality employees in the wine industry.

Northland and Manawatu salaries both grew by 6% to $66,160 and $62,803 respectively.

Main cities also fared well, with Wellington claiming the highest average national income of over $81,000 and with pay increasing by 4%. Salaries in Auckland increased by 3% to over $75,000 and Canterbury by 5% to almost $73,000.