Job applications boom as market shakes off Covid, Trade Me Jobs says

Tuesday, 4 October 2022

Demand for roles is up for the first time in two years.

The pandemic may finally have lost its grip on the New Zealand employment market, with demand for roles up for the first time in two years, Trade Me Jobs data has found.

Trade Me Jobs sales director Matt Tolich said analysis of more than 79,000 vacancies listed on Trade Me Jobs for the quarter ending September 30 showed more New Zealanders were finding confidence to apply for jobs now that all pandemic restrictions had been lifted.

“In [the third quarter] we saw more Kiwi taking advantage of the current market conditions and checking out their options, with a nationwide 9% year-on-year jump in the average number of applications per listing.”

Before this, Tolich said, the last time there was a year-on-year increase in demand for roles was in the third quarter of 2020, when average applications per listing jumped 11%.

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Tolich said the Gisborne (up 28%), Auckland (up 21%), and Wellington (up 16%) regions had the biggest spikes in average applications per listings in the quarter when compared with the same period in 2021.

Trade Me Jobs sales director Matt Tolich says the pandemic has finally lost its grip on the New Zealand employment market.

“This was reflected around the country, with more job applicants in every region except Canterbury, Marlborough, Taranaki and Otago last quarter.”

Demand was also up in the vast majority of industries, with Trade Me Jobs’ largest category, trades and services, having a 14% jump in the average number of applications per listing when compared with the same quarter last year.

“The construction and roading, and agriculture, fishing and forestry sectors saw demand spikes too, with respective 32% and 35% year-on-year jumps in average applications per listing.”

Tolich said news of increased interest in roles would be welcome news for employers.

Tolich said the national number of jobs listed on the site had not changed compared with the same period in 2021.

“However, if we compare to the third quarter of 2019, we saw a 17% increase in the number of job listings onsite.

“What we’re seeing here is the market levelling off after cycles of lockdowns followed by sugar rushes of pent-up demand over the past two years.”

Going into the warmer months, Tolich said the number of hospitality and tourism roles climbed 46% year-on-year in the September quarter as Kiwi businesses looked to bolster their teams for the upcoming busy season.

In the Auckland region alone, hospitality and tourism roles jumped by 75% year-on-year.

Nationwide, retail (up 15%) and customer service (up 10%) listings had a big increase on the same period in 2021.

“Aotearoa has well and truly opened back up and these sectors really make up the backbone of our summer economy, so it’s no surprise they were the three to see a year-on-year increase,” Tolich said.

In the last three months of the year, Tolich said there might still be some big changes to come.

“With an abundance of listings, it’s still a great time to be a jobseeker, and we reckon we’ll continue to see applications climb as Kiwis make the most of this.”

The biggest change would likely be felt by employers, he said.

“With more people in the market for a new job, paired with a significant number of migrants entering the country, businesses are now feeling some relief, and we expect this to get even better over summer.”