Job ad levels remain at record levels, applications falling
The SEEK NZ Employment Report for the month of February 2022 show ad volumes for February 2022 being 40% higher than February last year.
However, applications per job ad fell by 9% from January, notably outside the major cities, with applications being 46% lower than those recorded in February 2021, the report found.
"January and now February have been record months for job ads on seek.co.nz, although candidates are still hesitant to hit apply with applications per ad falling significantly," says Rob Clark, country manager for SEEK NZ.
"Many industries achieved record levels of job ads in February, including Healthcare - Medical, Retail - Consumer Products, Education - Training and Manufacturing, Transport - Logistics, among others," he says.
Clark says Hospitality - Tourism was the most notable exception, falling 13% month-on-month, at the same time as daily COVID-19 cases rose.
"The reopening of international borders may be cause for some optimism as we can look forward to an influx of workers again for the first time in two years," he says.
"In saying that, there is the concern that we will lose candidates to the lure of OE and overseas opportunities. Applications and people movement will be a key metric to watch over the coming months."
On a national level, the report found job ads were 40% higher year-on-year (y/y) and 31% than the same time in 2019. Job ads remained steady with no change month-on-month (m/m), while applications per job ad fell by 9% m/m.
Information - Communication Technology roles were the most in demand in February, rising 3% m/m followed by Manufacturing, Transport - Logistics (7%) and Trades - Services (0%).
Across the regions, the report found all regions had a y/y increase in job ads in February, with Manawatu recording the greatest m/m increase in job ads, rising 11%, followed by Gisborne which increased 8%
Job ads in Canterbury rose 2% m/m, in Wellington by 1% and in Waikato by 2%, but declined in both Auckland and Bay of Plenty by 3% respectively m/m
Manawatu, Canterbury and Tasman all recorded the highest job ads ever in February. Marlborough and Otago remained steady and Auckland and Bay of Plenty declined by 3% month-on-month.
On an industry level, the report found Information - Communication Technology roles had the most new job ads on seek.co.nz in February, rising 3%, followed by Manufacturing, Transport and Logistics (+7%) and Trades - Services, which remained steady at 0%.
The Public Service sector saw m/m growth across the board with Healthcare - Medical roles up 3%, Education - Training up 9% and Community Services - Development roles up 9%.
