More than 250,000 jobs were advertised on SEEK in the year to November 2012. What were the trends?
More than 250,000 jobs were advertised on SEEK in the year to November 2012, according to data published by the employment website. This represented an increase of 4% compared to figures from 2011.
The number of jobs advertised peaked in May, thanks to spikes in Auckland and Canterbury, but job seekers were out of step with job advertisers. The majority of applications to positions posted on SEEK were received in the first quarter of 2012, and they peaked in March.
Janet Faulding, general manager – SEEK New Zealand, predicted that the early months of 2013 will see a repeat of 2012. “We always see higher rates of jobseeker activity in the New Year as people return from their holidays, ready to set career-related resolutions in motion,” she said.
The strongest performing cities and regions last year were Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury. Auckland retained its status as the region with the most jobs with around 125,000 listed (around half of the New Zealand total). Wellington had 45,000 positions advertised, an increase of 2% from 2011, and Canterbury had 37,000. The latter region also registered the greatest growth in job advertisement numbers: a 34% increase in 2012.
Wellington may be a good option for budding HR professionals. “Year on Year (December), Wellington has seen the greatest growth in the number of job ads for HR and Recruitment with 23% YoY growth,” Sarah Macartney, trade marketing & PR manager – SEEK, told HRM. Canterbury saw above average growth in HR job ads throughout 2012, but still represented a smaller market than either Auckland or Wellington.
Last December, the HR roles that were hardest of fill included ‘Remuneration and Benefits Sepcialists’ and ‘Organisation Development Personnel’ meaning that those skills were in high demand. On the other hand, those looking for work as an ‘Industrial and Employee Relations Expert’ or ‘General HR Consultant’ will have the hardest time differentiating themselves.
