Online job ads down in October - Seek

Job site Seek said rising ad numbers were being driven by demand for labour in major centres like Christchurch. Photographer / Geoff Sloan

New online job ad listings were down last month, according to a major New Zealand employment website.

After figures out last week showed the country's unemployment rate at a 13-year high, Seek.co.nz said today that its two key job ad indexes took a fall in October.

The Seek Employment Index (SEI) fell 2.9 per cent and the New Job Ad Index dropped 2.1 per cent from September to October.

It was typical to see decreases in both indexes in the lead up to the holiday season, said Seek NZ general manager Janet Faulding.

"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."

Faulding also said the job market's tendency to slow down at this time of year may become a thing of the past as jobseekers increasingly search for jobs on mobile devices.

"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."

Despite the index dips, the job market is still showing signs of improvement, Faulding said.

Compared to October 2011, the New Job Index is up 4.7 per and the SEI up 6.6 per cent.

Canterbury was the only region which saw a rise in the SEI last month, up 8.3 per cent from September.

Faulding said industries supporting the Canterbury rebuild were continuing to prop up the demand for labour.

The fastest growing jobs in the country in the quarter to October were plumbers, construction machinery operators, pharmacists, manufacturing managers, and civil engineers.

Seek's Employment Index measures labour market supply and labour market demand. When the index increases, it shows that demand outweighs supply, meaning advertisers are finding it harder to fill roles.