New Zealand's best career opportunities

Students in New Zealand are being encouraged to consider their career options at an early stage and to pick one that ranked highly in terms of job prospects Photo / Greg Bowker

Students planning to become engineers, scientists, IT professionals or psychologists have the best chance of securing a job, a new Government report shows.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's Occupation Outlook report, released today, ranks the income, training requirements, and job prospects of 50 careers.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce said New Zealand was developing a more high-skilled economy and it was important that students considered their career options at an early stage.

He said entry into high-demand, high-skilled jobs such as engineering and IT was often determined by study choices people made before they entered secondary school.

"While not everyone wants to be an engineer, it is important that young people know all the options that are available and the subjects that lead to them."

The Outlook Occupation report showed demand for some types of work such as manufacturing and primary industries was growing, while demand for unskilled work was growing at a lower level.

Mr Joyce said: "New Zealand's traditional manufacturing industries, based on primary sector processing, are a vital part of the economy.

"However we are also growing a significant number of niche hi-tech manufacturers that are seeking skilled graduates at both degree and diploma level."

Other careers that ranked highly in terms of job prospects were trade jobs such as carpentry and welding.

In the primary industries sector a number of careers had both high income levels and good job prospects, in particular agricultural or environmental science, farm management and veterinarian work. There was high demand for some areas of the service industry, including accountants, chefs, financial advisers and marketing professionals.

Students aiming to become doctors, dentists, early childhood teachers, physiotherapists and psychologists also had a good chance of finding work once they graduated.

The report showed job prospects were poor for pilots, actors, fire fighters, and journalists. The release of the Occupation Outlook included an app which was designed to help tertiary students with their study choices.

• Read the full report