From May to July this year, job ads in tourism and hospitality industry increased by 9 per cent. Photo / 123RF
The hospitality and tourism industry is one of the fastest growing industries for job opportunities, according to job search site Seek.
The increase in job advertisements over the past three months has been driven by strong growth in tourism numbers, from both domestic and foreign visitors, Seek says.
From May to July, ads on Seek for the hospitality and tourism industry grew by 9 per cent, compared to the same period last year.
Seek New Zealand general manager Janet Faulding said the hospitality and tourism industry was the eleventh largest advertising industry on the site.
"Helping fuel job ad growth on Seek across the hospitality and tourism industry is increasing demand for professionals to service the rising number of tourists visiting New Zealand and an increase of Kiwis travelling domestically," Faulding said.
According to Statistics New Zealand's latest international travel and migration report, international visitors to New Zealand rose by 10 per cent in the year to June.
In the year to June 2017 visitor arrivals were up 33,900 to a total of 230,100. The majority of visitors were recorded to have come from the UK, followed closely by those from Australia, Indonesia, the US and Ireland.
Despite strong job opportunities within the hospitality and tourism in dusty, the industry was facing some challenges, Faulding said, including fewer job opportunities in certain roles.
"From May to July this year, there was a decline in advertising on Seek for airline workers - down 24 per cent year on year - and reservation professionals, down 9 per cent year on year," she said.
"All these jobs are experiencing a rise in online competition and automation."
The national average, advertised salary in the industry rose 1 per cent in three months, recorded at $52,312.
Otago and Auckland were the regions with the most job opportunities, according to Seek.
Opportunities in Otago increased by 45 per cent, while those in Auckland increased 9 per cent. Opportunities in Wellington increased by 7 per cent and in Canterbury by 1 per cent.
New Zealand's overall labour market saw a 10.8 per cent increase in job ads on Seek in the year to July.
The top advertised industries were found to be information and communication technology (ICT) and manufacturing, transport and logistics.
Fulltime jobs were found to be the most advertised role type in the year to June, while part-time job vacancies continued to flatten. Job ads for casual/vacation, contract/temporary roles also continued to strengthen in July.