'After a notable rise in January, worker demand readjusted in February'
Job advertisements for human resources and recruitment roles slipped in February 2025 as worker demand across New Zealand "readjusted" during the month, according to the latest data from SEEK NZ.
Its latest Employment Report revealed that job ad volumes for HR and Recruitment roles declined by six per cent in February, joining other large hiring industries that also saw a dip in job openings.
Overall, job ads across New Zealand dropped by two per cent in February but did not see any changes quarter over quarter.
"After a notable rise in January, worker demand readjusted in February and fell two per cent," said Rob Clark, SEEK NZ country manager, in a statement.
"The month-on-month data can be a little bit noisy, and we are seeing some bounce among industries. For example, in the Call Centre & Customer Service industry, demand dropped 17% after jumping 35% in January – in this climate, it is better to take a longer-term view of the numbers."
Source: SEEK NZ Employment Report for February
By region, the SEEK report noted that most regions registered a decline in February, with the biggest drop recorded in Tasman, with a nine per cent decrease.
The only regions that recorded an increase were the West Coast (6%), Canterbury (3%), Southland (2%), and the Bay of Plenty (1%).
Source: SEEK NZ Employment Report for February
"After two years of steady and significant decline in job ad volumes, the past eight months have been broadly flat," Clark said. "While we may not be out of the woods yet, the days of significant, broad-based drops in worker demand should be behind us."
Meanwhile, applications per job ad went up five per cent month-on-month in January, according to SEEK.
By industry, the biggest month-on-month increases in applications per job ad were in:
"For job seekers, we know that the start of the year is a peak time to jump back into the job hunt and the data shows it did, with a five per cent rise in applications per job ad, coinciding with a rise in ad volumes in January," Clark said.
