Hawke's Bay a job hunters' paradise as number of employment vacancies soar

Trade Me Jobs sales director Matt Tolich said given Hawke's Bay's reliance on backpackers and migrant workers it wasn't surprising it had been hit harder by border closures. Photo / Supplied

Employers are battling for staff as job vacancy listings rise by 58 per cent in Hawke's Bay and over 150 per cent in some industries.

Trade Me Jobs is calling it a "job hunters' market" with over 80,000 vacancy listings nationwide, jumps in pay and fewer people applying for jobs.

Trade Me Jobs sales director Matt Tolich said Hawke's Bay had the equal highest increase in job vacancies of any region in New Zealand.

There has been a 58 per cent increase in the second financial quarter of 2021 compared with the same period in 2019.

"The Hawke's Bay region is heavily reliant on backpackers and migrant workers so it's not surprising that the area has been hit harder by our border closures," Tolich said.

It was the equal highest increase with Nelson/Tasman also on 58 per cent, followed by Gisborne slightly behind at 57 per cent.

The largest increases in job listings in the region in Q2 were in engineering, which was up 187 per cent, construction and roading which was up 167 per cent, and trades and services which was up 113 per cent compared with the same quarter in 2019.

The average wage in Hawke's Bay rose 8 per cent on 2019 to $58,147, relatively low compared with the highest in the country in Wellington City at $76,102.

The five highest paid roles nationwide are all in IT.

Applications for job vacancies were down 16 per cent compared with the first quarter of the year, Tolich said.