Demand for talent fell across most sectors, regions
The decrease in job ads accelerated in the past month, according to the latest SEEK NZ Employment Report, while competition for job openings continued to heat up.
Job ads declined eight per cent in June, a bigger fall than the previous month's five per cent. Annually, job postings also dropped 35% year-on-year.
"The decline in job ads has accelerated in the past month, with falling demand across all sectors," said Rob Clark, country manager of SEEK NZ, in a statement. "The Matariki public holiday likely added to the hiring slowdown for the month, although it wasn't the only factor, with economic pressures continuing to stymie hiring activity."
Job postings breakdown
Sectors that logged the biggest monthly decreases include the Advertising, Arts, and Media (-25%) and the Mining, Resources, and Energy (-23%).
The Human Resources and Recruitment sector also logged an eight per cent decrease in job ads from the previous month, according to the report.
Only three sectors registered an increase in job postings, including Consulting and Strategy (9%), Design and Architecture (4%), and the Banking and Financial Services (2%) sectors.
Source: SEEK NZ's Employment Report - June
Most regions also recorded a decrease in job ads except for Southland, which registered a three per cent increase.
The biggest monthly drops in job postings were recorded in Manawatu (-16%) and Northland (-12%), according to SEEK NZ.
Source: SEEK NZ's Employment Report - June
Applications per posting
Meanwhile, applications per job ad continued going up in May. SEEK NZ, however, noted that the increase is slower with only one per cent month-on-month.
"It is a pretty tough market for jobseekers at the moment, with demand for workers declining in almost all regions and in most of our largest industries," Clark said. "Competition is at its highest level and in Retail & Consumer products, for example, applications per job ad have more than doubled since last year."
