“January can tend to be a bit of an unknown in the employment market, so I would wait to see what happens over the next few months,” Clark said.
Driving job ad volumes was a 10 per cent rise in retail and consumer jobs.
Clark said this was the greatest jump the transport industry has seen in over two years.
Marketing and communications also helped to push overall volumes higher, up 18 per cent.
The largest declines in job ads were in information and communication technology (-5 per cent) and hospitality and tourism (-2 per cent).
Meanwhile, competition among candidates continues to grow rapidly.
Applications per job ad rose 6 per cent from November to December (a lag month for Seek’s data), which was already at the highest recorded levels in Seek history.
“With the population surging over the past year and more people in the country available for work, competition among candidates has become extremely tight, as demonstrated by peaking applications per job ad levels each month,” Clark said.
New Zealand’s population grew rapidly in 2023 with an annual net migration gain of 126,000 in the December 2023 year, Stats NZ figures show.
That was the largest net migration gain for a calendar year and close to the record of 134,400 in the October 2023 year.
Most regions experienced an increase in job ads month-on-month, with Manawatū leading the way (up 20 per cent).
This was driven by rises in large hiring industries including trades and services and manufacturing, transport and logistics, Clark said.
Auckland job ad volumes rose 1 per cent, while Wellington was flat.
Canterbury (-5 per cent), Northland (-7 per cent) and Marlborough (-12 per cent) were the only regions with a decline in job ad volumes.
January can be a popular month for job movements as New Zealanders reassess their employment after the holidays.
Figures from Trade Me Jobs last week showed a 54 per cent increase in Kiwis applying for jobs in January compared with December 2023.
Trade Me Jobs spokesman Patrick Cairns said the site had seen an increase in both roles advertised and in applications in January.
“[That] is a massive jump after the Christmas period. This goes to show that as Kiwis return from the holiday break, they are looking for a new role to kick off the new year,” Cairns said.
The average annual salary nationwide dropped 3.6 per cent in January.
Central Hawke’s Bay ($78,100) overtook Auckland ($77,769) as having the highest average salary. Wellington was third with an average salary of $75,650.
“The top jobs in the central Hawke’s Bay are centred around construction and roading, which pay over $150,000. While this signals that Hawke’s Bay can compete with larger regions in terms of average salary, it’s important to note that there are fewer job opportunities compared to Auckland,” Cairns said.
The drop in average annual salaries could be due to the increase in migration levels, Cairns said.
“This year we may see the job market start to lean towards employers, with more people in the country trying to find work,” he said.
“That means those looking for a new role will need to make sure their job profile and CV stands out.”
Cameron Smith is an Auckland-based journalist with the Herald business team. He joined the Herald in 2015 and has covered business and sports.
