Photo: 123rf
The job market is showing signs of recovery according to more positive advertising data, though it will take more time to call it a trend.
"After six months of consistently falling job ads in the early half of 2024, the rate of decline in the past six months has slowed," Seek country manager Rob Clark said.
"While it was pleasing to see growth in January, it is a bit too early to say that volumes have stabilised."
The latest Seek NZ employment report showed January job ads rose 4 percent month-on-month, which was the strongest growth in five months.
However, the numbers were flat quarter on quarter and still down 17 percent on the year earlier.
The growth in the number of applications per job ad slowed to 2 percent.
"We typically see a bit more activity at the start of the year. we see hires looking to fill positions and we see candidates a lot more active, having come back after a summer break and reflecting on where they might want to work," Clark said.
"So [it] still remains very competitive, but good to see a few more numbers in January, certainly compared to what we saw in December."
The public and consumer services sectors recorded the greatest increase in ad volumes, month on month.
Ad volumes fell in only three industries including legal (-17 percent), insurance and superannuation (-16 percent) and accounting (-3 percent).
"There have been smaller fluctuations month-on-month during the past half-year and pockets of broad growth in some of the larger regions in recent months, such as Wellington and Otago," Clark said.
Otago had seen rising demand for hospitality and tourism workers over the past few months.
"It is good to see hiring activity rising, particularly in the hard-hit smaller regions. We do expect more optimism among hirers at the start of the year, and this month's numbers may be more a sign of a return to business after the summer break, than a longer term trend."
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
