Spike in Rotorua's listed jobs

There has been a big jump in the number of jobs listed in Rotorua - but that doesn't mean it's easy pickings for job hunters.

The first quarter of this year saw the number of jobs listed on Trade Me up about 25 per cent on the same time the previous year, according to head of Trade Me Jobs Peter Osborne.

That is well above the 4.1 per cent rise nationally.

Mr Osborne said the "big jump" in Rotorua was an indicator of employer confidence and showed employers were looking at taking on new people.

He said he wasn't entirely sure they would see that level of confidence in 2016, but the year had started very strong. While a smaller area like Rotorua could see more variance than bigger areas, he said it was a considerable jump.

And while the number of jobs is up the number of applicants is also on the rise, up about 24 per cent on the same time last year.

"It seems like a buoyant job market with more jobs and more people looking for them."

However, average salary figures were "a little less good news" with salaries dropping about 4 per cent from the same time the previous year, down to an average salary of $53,477.

Mr Osborne said that could be down to a change in the time of roles, and perhaps indicative of more hospitality-type roles. "It's nothing to be concerned about."

He said it was still hard for job hunters and the best advice was to research before applying, and to tailor the application to the job being applied for.

Rotorua's Personnel Resources/Temp Resources recruitment co-ordinator Anna Crighton said business was busy with employers looking for staff and also a lot more people looking for work.

"There have been quite a few different roles, it's quite varied roles," she said. "We still deal with a lot of accounting roles but it is across the board with administration, a little bit of marketing."

Talent ID recruitment and human resources specialist Olivia Burman said the statistics were a reflection of Rotorua's economy picking up, and employers having the ability to add extra personnel.

"A lot more people are moving away from major cities for a lifestyle change and greater work life balance for them and their families; which is great, as it allows the smaller regions to gain extra skilled candidates and diversity of talent that we may have been lacking previously for our business departments," she said.

She said it was reasonably easy for candidates to get jobs in Rotorua and the wider Bay of Plenty, but a well thought out and presented CV was a must.

"There has been a huge rise in employment across all sectors, not just one in particular."

A spokesman for Tradestaff Rotorua declined to comment.

- Additional reporting Kyra Dawson
Rotorua jobs advertised on Trade Me - Top categories:

- Trades and services: 30

- Hospitality and tourism: 17

- Transport and logistics: 15

- Retail: 12

- Automotive: 10

- Education: 10

* As of yesterday afternoon.