Wanganui jobseekers need to meet only basic standards to have plenty of opportunities in the market place, an employment specialist says.
Trade Me job data for the April to June quarter showed a 5.7 per cent year-on-year decrease in Wanganui listings and 9.1 per cent decrease in the average number of applications per role.
The average annual pay of $52,690 was also down on a year ago.
But even with the declines, Allied Workforce Labour Wanganui manager Graeme Musson said jobseekers who had "the basics" shouldn't have any trouble finding work.
Basics included having no criminal history, the ability to pass a drug test, a CV and experience, or at least, the willingness to work.
"Most employers nowadays ask that [applicants] are drug tested," Mr Musson said. "We're still seeing about 20 per cent of applicants failing the tests.
"We also ask for CVs when we advertise but a lot of people just don't send them in. I don't know whether it's that writing CVs isn't taught in schools nowadays or what, but a lot of people seem to have no idea how to put a basic one together."
Jobs were there, though. "We had two induction days last week with 10 people at them, and I think eight of the 10 had jobs the very next day," Mr Musson said.
"Construction work has slowed down a bit, as a lot has been done in Wanganui, but now there's a lot of flood repair work to do. A lot of the work will be on people's properties so workers have to be trustworthy. Not being able to pass a drug test just doesn't cut it."
Head of Trade Me Jobs Peter Osborne believed the rise showed Kiwis had several opportunities and options.
"While some gloss may be coming off the economy, the job market's shown signs of healthy persistence this quarter. "We saw more than 58,000 listings onsite between April-June - up more than 5 per cent on the second quarter of last year.
Overall, there were "nice pockets of growth" across the country, he said.
"People are also taking the opportunity to assess their job options, with the number of applicants per job up more than 7 per cent on a year ago."
However, it could still be difficult to land a job - meaning people were perhaps more inclined to travel for work. "A slowing in job advertising with an increase in job applications means employers should find it easier to fill roles, while job hunters will find it more difficult to land a job," Mr Osborne said.
"Since the biggest job market is Auckland, more people moving to the 'big smoke' looking for work could exacerbate issues like housing affordability and supply."
Wellington continued to be the place to be for wages, with the highest average pay in the country, at $74,253. This was driven by higher-paying banking, finance, technology and other skilled roles dominating, Mr Osborne said.