Job market heats up

OUT OF THE RAT RACE: Senior bank consultant Kerry Feetham says she would never dream of moving back to Auckland. PHOTO/BEN FRASER

The number of applications for jobs in Rotorua is on the rise, with one recruitment specialist saying that Aucklanders moving into the region are contributing to a busy job market.

It's hoped changing attitudes will mean people can now enjoy the lifestyle of provincial cities such as Rotorua, without compromising their career aspirations.

Trade Me data for the April to June quarter showed a 19.4 per cent year-on-year increase in the average number of applications for Rotorua-based roles.

Meanwhile data from job search engine Seek showed that January to June listings in the Bay of Plenty were up 11 per cent on 2014.

Talent ID director Kellie Hamlett said she had noticed an increase in interest in Rotorua jobs.

"I've had increased inquiries from people from the cities, particularly Auckland, in the past six months," she said.

"People capitalising on the housing market in the Bay of Plenty, because it's more affordable, are of course also looking for jobs."

The market growth wasn't limited to a particular sector, she said, although administrative and management positions tended to attract higher numbers of applicants than technical roles.

Head of Trade Me Jobs Peter Osborne believed the rise showed Kiwis had several opportunities and options in the job market, saying there were "nice pockets of growth" across the country.

Trade Me's total listings for Rotorua were down slightly year-on-year.

But according to Sarah Macartney, head of corporate communications at Seek, the regional growth of industries such as banking and legal was evidence of a more positive attitude shift that had taken place over the last 12 months.

"It's becoming more accepted that people working in these provincial cities, such as Rotorua, have the same experience as those working in the bigger cities," she said.

"It's really encouraging for people who want to [further] their career but want to live in a regional town."

Rotorua Chamber of Commerce chief executive Darrin Walsh said that although he was yet to observe an overwhelming trend, news of Aucklanders moving down and finding work was "a good sign Rotorua is growing".

It was encouraging that people were actually moving to the city, rather than commuting from other regional centres such as Tauranga, Mr Walsh said.

"We read in the paper about how people from Auckland are moving down here because of the lifestyle, so we know they are investing and buying properties here.

"So when that's happening, then yes they are coming into the job market.

"That's not a bad thing - that's how we are going to grow as a city."

One person who has helped to fuel that growth is Kerry Feetham, a senior consultant at The Co-operative Bank in Rotorua.

Banking and financial services was the sector with the highest increase in job roles across the Bay, according to the Seek figures, more than doubling in the first six months of this year.

Ms Feetham, 32, moved back to Rotorua in February after spending a number of years working in banks around the country, most recently a two-year stint in Auckland.

She said she was more than happy to leave the traffic of the big smoke behind.

"I'm never going to live back in Auckland," she said. "It was a rat race ... A meeting would mean you get five minutes with someone - here, they want to talk to you for an hour."

While there was the incentive of family drawing her back to Rotorua, Ms Feetham is still a paid-up advocate of the lifestyle on offer in the region.

"I like the Bay of Plenty - it's got everything, and it's easier to get to the beach."

No amount of money could tempt her back to Auckland, she said.

"They offered me the world, but it wasn't the world."