Student job applications hit record 50,000 as young people forced to move cities for work

Monday, 15 December 2025

A record number of job applications were made by tertiary students in New Zealand last month, with some young people moving cities to find work.

The “demoralising” search for employment is something Zita Fairbrass knows about first hand.

She spent 18 months applying for jobs in Christchurch. After hundreds of applications and countless dead ends, the 18-year-old is moving to Auckland — the only city where she could secure full-time work.

'It’s been so draining. I thought I was the only one [that’s struggled to find a job],' she said.

She is not.

Student Job Search - the organisation that connects tertiary students to jobs - recorded 50,000 job applications in November — a 13% increase year-on-year and a record for this financial year.

But while vacancies rose by 15%, chief executive Louise Saviker said a large gap between students and opportunities remains, with most placements short-term and casual.

'We're continuing to see students picking up multiple jobs just to earn what they would if they could find a permanent part-time or full-time role, and the competition for each job is intense,' Saviker said.

The figures paint a grim picture of the youth unemployment struggle plaguing graduates, tertiary and high school students.

Jack Dellaca has been looking for two years. The 17-year-old, who just finished at St Thomas of Canterbury College and will begin his Psychology degree at the University of Canterbury next year, has applied through SJS, Indeedand Seek — all requiring experience for simple jobs such as packing and supermarket work.

'It's hard to get experience when you don't have it, and you're competing with hundreds of others in the same place,' he said.

The casual work he has found — through family friends in hospitality — has been sporadic at best. He is called in an hour before shifts, works three or four hours, then does not hear from them for weeks.

'It's quite demoralising,' Dellaca said. 'It's summer and I can't go out with my friends because I don't have the money, and I also don’t have work to distract me.'

After securing jobs with ease in her early teens, Fairbrass thought finding work would be straightforward as an 18-year-old with experience. Instead, she found herself doubting her abilities.

'It was quite humbling. I feel like I'm a very employable person. Then for a year and a half I couldn't find a job, and I thought 'maybe there is something wrong with me.''

Her solution? Act like a salesperson in interviews, firmly stating why she was the best choice over hundreds of other applicants. And it worked - she landed a part-time contract at a preschool where over 100 people had applied.

But that contract has now ended, and the only full-time role she could secure is a live-in nanny position in Auckland — found only through connections. “I just consider myself lucky.”

Infometrics principal economist Brad Olsen said competition for summer roles will be fierce this year as young people compete with longer-term unemployed workers desperate for any income.

'The competitive pool for some of these roles is probably going to be a bit hotter this year,' he said. 'Job ad numbers in November were at their highest in a year and a half, which is encouraging. But we're still quite a way away from where they were pre-pandemic.'

More than 1700 students found work through SJS in November, but growth is concentrated in hospitality, construction and logistics — sectors that rarely offer long-term security.

Olsen said young people's fluency with technology presents a real opportunity for businesses willing to hire.

'Things are looking a bit brighter than where they were six months ago,' he said. 'But compared to six years ago, things are still a lot tougher.'