Job growth slows, says Trade Me

Nearly half of the increase in Trade Me job listings came from the Canterbury market, with increases in the building and construction sector. Photo / Carol Edwards

Growth in the jobs market has slowed with a smaller increase in advertised vacancies in the last quarter, according to Trade Me Jobs.

An analysis of more than 42,000 roles advertised on the website showed vacancies were up 11.4 per cent, which was down on 12.3 per cent in the previous quarter.

Trade Me Jobs boss Pete Ashby said the drop was small but he had expected a stronger result.

"The same quarter a year ago was disrupted by the tail end of the [Rugby World Cup] and the general election," he said.

"So we'd hoped to show better growth but double-digit growth isn't to be scoffed at."

The quarterly review also shows a 9.7 per cent increase in applications for jobs, creating an "employers' market" in many segments, Ashby said.

The Christchurch market "continues to dominate the employment landscape, with 46 per cent of the increase in listings across the country coming from the Canterbury market".

The Trade Me report says the building and construction sectors are booming, with site management roles up 119 per cent, supervisors and forepersons up 155 per cent, building and carpentry up 94 per cent and labourers up 90 per cent.

Ashby said overseas imports would likely be looked at to fill the forecast 15,000 to 30,000 workers required to meet the demand.

"The increased demand appears to be driving up pay rates, especially in the commercial construction sector," he said.

"Site management and supervisory roles are up by over 5 per cent, well above the national average.

"It's also encouraging to see job growth rippling through the broader Canterbury economy.

"Advertised vacancies for office and administration, and hospitality and tourism roles have lifted by 58 per cent per cent and 48 per cent respectively."

There was also a resurgent growth in Auckland, where listings were up 7.3 per cent, "a marked increase on last quarter".

Most of the jobs were still in the central city and Manukau, though areas including the North Shore and Waitakere were growing fastest (up 22 per cent and 33 per cent respectively).