The surprising region where you might want to look for a job
Saturday, 22 March 2025
It’s got cheap housing, a surprising amount of sunshine hours and a whole lot of talent shortages.
Here’s why the West Coast is experiencing a golden job market.
What is happening with the West Coast job market?
The short answer is, a lot.
According to the Seek NZ Employment Report for February, the West Coast bucked the declining monthly trend job advertisements last month with a 6% increase. Overall New Zealand experienced a 2% decline.
The region also had the third highest average advertised salary in the country, sitting at $75,069, according to Trade Me. This was below Auckland and Wellington.
So why is the job market booming in the region?
Development West Coast chief executive Heath Milne said the West Coast was experiencing strong growth, driven largely by mining, tourism, and construction.
“Record gold prices have fuelled investment in the mining sector, with Federation Mining’s Snowy River Gold Mine already employing over 80 staff and 25 contractors. As they scale up, they’ll need over 100 more workers in the region.
“We’re also seeing the emergence of a new industry with mineral sands, which is securing critical minerals essential for high-tech manufacturing, renewable energy, and advanced industrial processes. With growing global demand for these minerals, the West Coast will see more employment growth in this area.”
Tourism was also booming in the area, with the West Coast leading the country in visitor spending growth last year up 8.4% with an extra $41m spent in the region creating more jobs in hospitality, accommodation and tourism services.
And what industries are needing more workers?
As mentioned above the mineral sector and the tourism and hospitality industries were on the hunt for more workers as demand increases.
Milne said construction and trade workers were also needed as housing developments and infrastructure projects were ramping up.
“We’re facing a shortage of builders, electricians, plumbers, and civil contractors. More tradies are urgently needed to meet demand and support the region’s growth.”
Surely the region’s job market is still experiencing its challenges?
That is true - it isn’t all picture perfect.
Tania Jones, director of Greymouth recruitment business Productive People, said despite a number of jobs available it was especially hard to fill roles in the semi-isolated region.
“Auto electricians and other tradies are particularly difficult to recruit. We are actively supporting businesses to source talent both from other regions and internationally.”
At the same time, there were a large number of young job seekers looking for entry-level roles, where opportunities remain limited.
But why would you want to work in the West Coast?
Milne said there had never been a better time to make the move west.
“More and more people are looking to escape the rat race of the big cities in search of an affordable, high-quality lifestyle, and the Coast delivers on all fronts.”
Housing affordability was also a major draw card.
The median house price was $390,000 in the region according to data from Infometrics. This was less than half the national average.
Mortgage payments on average only gobbled up 24% of a household’s income compared to 49% for the rest of New Zealand.
“Beyond the financial advantages, the lifestyle here is unmatched. You’ve got mountains, rivers, beaches, and native bush on your doorstep, without the traffic, high costs, and stress of city living. Work-life balance is a reality on the Coast.”
And no, it doesn’t rain all the time
According to Niwa the West Coast had experienced 606 sunshine hours so far this year, which was the second highest in the country.
This was just 15 hours behind Taranaki in the top spot and 22 hours ahead of Mackenzie Basin on 584.