Jobs on the rise in the region

Denae Petrick has just started a new job as business development manager for QJumpers.

The lure of a great lifestyle and a strengthening economy have contributed to a 24.1 per cent rise in the number of jobs advertised in the Bay of Plenty the third biggest jump in the country.

Trade Me Jobs figures comparing the first quarter of 2013 with the same period this year show the Bay ranked only behind Southland and Wellington. There were almost 2200 positions advertised in the Bay of Plenty on Trade Me Jobs, up from 1756 for the same period last year.

1st Call Recruitment managing director Phill van Syp said the number of job listings the company dealt with in Tauranga in February was 25 per cent higher than ever before and he expected March could be as much as 20 per cent higher.

The combination of a positive economic outlook and an attractive lifestyle made Tauranga an increasingly popular place to work and live, he said. Mr van Syp said demand for engineers was so high he was looking nationally and internationally to fill the roles.

Hairini resident Denae Petrick, 43, is a month into her new job as business development manager at Tauranga recruitment company QJumpers.

The human resources and recruitment sector saw the largest growth across the year with a 45.7 per cent increase in the number of listings nationally.

She had been working in healthcare recruitment for the past four years and moved from Wellington to Tauranga a year ago while she continued to work remotely. "When I started looking, I found there wasn't really much of anything for my background and what I was looking for," she said. Gretchen Kebbell, marketing and business support manager at QJumpers, said there had been strong growth in the Bay across a range of industries making it a good market for both employees and employers.

Jill Swan, the director of Tauranga recruitment agency, The Staffroom, said the number of roles she was recruiting for had doubled since the start of last year.

She said she was seeing growth across the board, particularly in the construction sector. A reception administrator role had attracted 180 applicants.

Director of The Right Staff Claudia Nelson said businesses wanted to replace staff quickly.

Job listings growth by region Q1 2013 vs Q1 2014
*Southland 41.3%
*Wellington 25.5%
*Bay of Plenty 24.1%
*Canterbury 23.9%