Photo: RNZ
This story has been updated to clarify that RNZ was not permitted to sit on MSD jobseeker seminars in order to protect the privacy of those attending
Jobseekers are competing with hundreds of other applicants in a tight labour market, and recruiters warn it is not going to get any easier to land a role.
The labour market is expected to become increasingly challenging in 2025, with the number of people on a jobseeker benefit expected to rise before it falls.
In a tight employment market, it was important to stand out from the crowd, Frog Recruitment managing director Shannon Barlow said.
"We're seeing a huge increase in the number of applications per job. If you don't have the relevant skills for that job it can have a negative effect. It's actually a lot better to be targeted in your job search."
She said a spray and pray approach would not cut it.
"Be selective and then put in that extra effort into customising your application, which may just mean studying the ads to see what's most important to the employer and focussing on those areas."
Barlow said it was not unusual for a job listing to attract 200 applications, depending on the level, and she was not surprised at reports that some jobs had attracted substantially more.
That tight labour market was different to the job losses induced by the pandemic, which were focussed on certain sectors that lost customers due to lockdowns, she said.
"This time around, it's been more widespread so pretty much every industry has been affected so it's been harder."
It was a good time for jobseekers to take stock and reset priorities, Barlow said.
It comes as the number of people receiving jobseeker support increased by 8800 in the June quarter to 204,800 in the September quarter.
The Ministry of Social Development said economic conditions had contributed to the high number of unemployed people.
Meanwhile, a new traffic light system aimed at enforcing beneficiary obligations dramatically increased sanctions handed down to beneficiaries, with 14,400 people losing a percentage of their benefit during the June to September quarter -133 percent higher than the same period in 2023.
Most of the sanctions were for people not attending appointments, which included work seminars.
MSD runs three seminars aimed at helping people get back into work and from May, those on a jobseeker benefit have been required to attend one of these within two weeks of starting on welfare.
RNZ asked to sit in on a seminar but MSD declined, citing the privacy of job seekers attending.
Just over 86,000 people on a jobseeker benefit attended a work seminar in a nine-month period last year as a requirement for continued government support.
That's less than half the number of people on jobseeker support at any one time.
The Kōrero Mahi - Let's talk work seminar is for people new to Jobseeker support. MSD data shows it ran 6102 of these seminars between February and October, which 41,061 people attended.
The numbers fluctuate between 4000 to 6000 attendees month to month.
A work check-in seminar for people on the benefit more than 26 weeks had 45,627 attendees for the same period.
- Read more: 'The sanctions have done nothing': Jobseekers say they struggle under traffic light pressure
MSD's regional commissioner for North and West Auckland, Daniel Brunt, said getting people into work was the agency's priority.
"What these seminars do is provide us the ability to talk to people more personally, more directly, and provide them with consistent messaging."
Seminar attendees were given information about the support on offer and their obligations while they were on a benefit, he said.
"There's a range of people in our client base at the moment, some of them need more help and are further from the labour market, some of them have just left the labour market and are looking for an angle to get back in."
MSD worked with employers and sectors to offer training to help get people into work, such as in construction, Brunt said.
"We engage with different industries and specific employers to understand what their needs are and what kind of skills they would like the applicants to have."
His top tips for people wanting to get into work were to stay in contact with MSD about their progress and take part in support offered, such as writing a CV and upskilling.
"There's a real hope that in the new year the economy will shift and will provide people with the opportunity to hire and expand their businesses."
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