NZ online job vacancies rise in December as all skill levels in hot demand

Online job vacancies in New Zealand increased by 1.4% in December, with increased openings across all skill levels and most industries and regions, barring the high-profile information technology sector which showed the biggest drop in vacancies.

The all vacancies index increased to a seasonally adjusted 128.8, the highest level it has been since May 2007, according to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. On an annual basis, vacancies climbed 6.8% in the year to December, with eight out of 10 regions across the country posting an increase in the year.

New Zealand's business confidence shifted out of the doldrums in the last quarter of 2015 as the economy picked up from its mid-year sluggishness and firms saw improvements in their own activity, according to a survey by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research. Respondents were more upbeat about hiring, with a net 17% taking on more staff in the December quarter, and employment intentions steady at 14%. A net 32% said skilled labour was hard to find, and unskilled labour was also seen as being difficult to find.

Job vacancies increased in seven out of eight industry groups for the year, with accounting, HR, legal and admin rising 11%, hospitality and tourism up 11%, and healthcare and medical vacancies increasing 7.7%. IT was the only sector to report a decline, with vacancies falling 16%.

In occupation groups, the greatest increase for the year was seen in community and personal services, up 19%, while labourer vacancies rose 13%.

There was a greater rise in the number of unskilled jobs, up 2.9%, than for skilled or highly skilled jobs, which rose 0.9 and 1.2% respectively. Unskilled job vacancies rose 13% for the year.

Job vacancies in Canterbury, which had soared as the rebuild of the city picked up, fell 5.5% in the year. Construction vacancies, which peaked in December 2014 having soared 375% since the September 2010 earthquake, fell 20% by December 2015. Vacancies for technicians and trades workers rose 1% for the year.

Outside the Canterbury region, vacancies in Auckland, the country's most populous city, edged up 0.3% in the December, for a yearly gain of 7.7%. Bay of Plenty increased 1.8% in December, while the region gained 7.4% for the year. Gisborne was the leading region for job vacancies for the year, with a 15% annual rise, and up 0.6% for the month.

(BusinessDesk)