Job market up from 2011

The Seek New Job Ad Index is up 4.7% from this time last year, in new data released today by New Zealand’s largest job site. However, the data also showed that both the Seek Employment Index (SEI) and the New Job Ad Index dipped in October 2012, echoing a seasonal trend of hiring activity easing as year-end approaches. Last month, the Seek New Job Ad Index dropped 2.1% and the SEI fell 2.9%, an indication that the number of new job ads listed on seek.co.nz grew at a slower rate than applications for those roles. Despite the Index dips, the job market is still showing signs of improvement, as Janet Faulding, General Manager Seek New Zealand, explains; "We have seen some strong year-on-year gains in the market with the New Job Index up 4.7% and the SEI up 6.6% from this time last year. The decreases in both Indexes seen from September 2012 to October 2012 are typical for this time of year in the lead up to the holiday season. We expect to see this easing offset by significant rises in both job numbers and applications in the New Year, typically a period of increased activity," Ms Faulding says. Canterbury stood out in October as the only region in which the SEI rose, with an increase of 8.3%. This signals that the supply of jobs in the region currently outweighs the number of applicants, pointing to favourable conditions for jobseekers looking for work in Canterbury. The industries supporting the rebuilt continue to be propping up the demand for labour. And while there is evidence the labour market has eased this past month across the rest of New Zealand, it doesn’t mean demand has dropped off completely, as Ms Faulding explains. "Traditionally the job market does tend to slow down at this time of year, but as jobseekers continue to adopt mobile devices for their job search activity, it will be interesting to see if this dip becomes a thing of the past. Last year, we saw plenty of jobseeker activity throughout the holidays, with close to 50,000 visits a day to seek.co.nz recorded in December 2011. "The way in which we look for jobs is evolving - at SEEK, we are seeing more and more Kiwis look for, and apply for, jobs from mobile devices, showing that a holiday from work doesn’t always mean a holiday from the job-hunt," says Ms Faulding.