Job listings have jumped in the Bay of Plenty and some new roles have been created. Photo / Getty Images
Job listings in the Bay of Plenty have jumped 16 per cent in the past month compared to the same time last year.
Tauranga had a 17 per cent year-on-year increase in listings last month, while Rotorua increased by 13 per cent.
In November, the sectors with the highest average number of views per listing in the Bay were office and administration, transport and logistics, and marketing, media and communications.
Recruitment agencies in the region say demand in Tauranga is strong while Rotorua's market remained steady.
1st Call Recruitment managing director Phill van Syp said the company was ''busier than we have ever been, it's crazy''.
''We are at a record and 50 per cent above where we were last year, especially for temp positions. We are having record weeks and record months.''
After the Covid lockdown, van Syp said he wondered how the agency would survive but it has ''all turned on its head''.
A lot of his work was temping. Businesses were not willing to hire permanent staff so it provided a great option.
''That means they could bring people on as they want without having to commit - especially if it goes in a different direction. Let's face it, with redundancies, as much as the employee doesn't like it, the employers don't like doing it as well.
''It doesn't do anything for morale or keeping your company motivated.''
After a certain period of time, the agency encou1raged businesses to take on permanent staff, which was paying big dividends.
At the moment vacancies included construction, manufacturing and civil and 95 per cent of its clients were getting busier by the minute, he said.
Talent ID Recruitment director Kellie Hamlett said Rotorua's job market was steady. Inquiry wasstrong leading into Christmas across the temporary and permanent job market, she said.
''Noticeably I have been recruiting for a number of new roles, and while these are not sector-specific, they tend to be at a management level.
"We recruit anything from front office temporary roles through to executive level management, and have had roles available across this full spectrum within the past few months.''
Ryan and Alexander recruitment specialists director Bernadette Ryan-Hopkins said the company's domain was primarily professional services or any office work.
The company had noticed new roles were being created and it was extremely busy, although she acknowledged "pain in some sectors, particularly retail and hospitality meant a lot of people [were] still actively seeking work".
Ryan-Hopkins had been having discussions with the business community and the overall outlook was positive.
''I feel those involved with professional services, including accountants and lawyers alongside those involved with property and construction are doing well. The feedback I am getting from within the Bay is that our strength across the primary sector means that we may be cushioned compared with other regions."
At the moment, Ryan and Alexander are recruiting for roles across a number of sectors including legal, accounting, compliance, sales and senior operational roles.
''So it is a real mix of positions and businesses, which is wonderful.''
Priority One chief executive Nigel Tutt said professional services and construction were the main sectors driving the increase in job advertisements.
''Many companies we talk to are short on staff – we expect this to continue over the next year as conditions improve. The creation of these higher-value professional services jobs is a really good thing for the Western Bay economy as they help lift the overall prosperity of our community.''
Figures from Infometrics show professional services was the second biggest contributor to economic growth in the past 10 years in the Western Bay, adding 7.4 per cent of GDP
or $676m last year.
Professional Services covers areas including scientific research, architecture, engineering,
computer systems, design, law, accountancy, advertising, market research, management, consultancy, veterinary science and professional photography.
Tauranga Chamber of Commerce chief executive Matt Cowley said many businesses started projects or developed new services during the lockdown as demand for their core services stopped.
''But since lockdown, demand has picked back up. Now they need more staff to run both services. Businesses may have been running projects to modernise their operations, so they have taken on fixed-term works to deliver those projects.''
"Temporary or casual workers are great for projects or extra help that's needed for a limited period of time."
Meanwhile, salary workers were great for permanent work and provided certainty for cash flow forecasting, although there are expenses when going through redundancy processes, including notice periods and leave entitlements.
''Businesses are mainly focused on securing the right people for the job. Unemployment is relatively low so it is slim pickings. Employers are getting creative at sharing staff with another supporting business to increase the talent pool. Employers are also recruiting some staff [on] fixed-term contracts as they are unsure about their sustainability in 12 months.''
Rotorua Chamber of Commerce chief executive Bryce Heard said big challenges were ahead for 2021 but the business community was resilient.
''On one hand, we still have the carryover from the money the Government for Covid when it was at its peak and that was a tremendous bolster for confidence. But then we have some businesses that have reached the end of the line and shut up shop.''
However, Heard said there was plenty of optimism despite the mountains that still needed to be climbed.
Rotorua Economic Development interim chief executive Andrew Wilson said local recruitment companies indicated they were very busy looking for people to fill office-based temp and contract roles.
''Accountants and IT workers, in particular, are in demand and it's good to see strong job growth in those areas.'
''Nationwide we know that there's a shortage of seasonal staff, which is affecting hospitality and some tourism businesses in regions that usually rely on people with working holiday visas. In Rotorua, we're hearing the shortage is mainly impacting hospitality and the more specialised tourism roles.''
Infometrics data from 2019 shows that tourism and hospitality, forestry and manufacturing are the biggest contributors to GDP in Rotorua, closely followed by healthcare.
Trade Me head of jobs Jeremy Wade said now was a good time to be a job hunter.
''We are seeing an abundance of roles listed across the vast majority of sectors.''