The most recent report from SEEK indicates that job advertisements are continuing to decline, with a half-percent decrease in September after a prolonged period of steady reduction and a slight increase in August.
Meanwhile, the number of applications per job advertisement has fallen by 2%, following a peak and a year-long trend of increases.
“It’s very difficult to sort of put a trend line on it because it’s just up and down every month at the moment… Job ad volumes are still 30 percent down on this time last year, so it’s still a pretty subdued market,” SEEK country manager Rob Clark said, noting that the data was inconsistent and erratic due to the declining job market.
“Some of the commentary talks to increased confidence et cetera that appears to be sort of more forward-looking than what we’re seeing, you know, right here and right now in terms of hiring intentions,” he added.
Auckland, Wellington, and Bay of Plenty experienced a 1% decrease in job advertisements, while Waikato and Otago saw declines of 3%, SEEK said.
While most urban centres experienced slight declines in job ads, Canterbury was an exception, reporting a 6% increase in listings.
For smaller regions, job advertisements in Gisborne increased by 14% from the previous month, while the West Coast experienced a decline of 12%.
Encouragingly, sectors such as retail, tourism, and hospitality are seeing some growth as the holiday season approaches.