Job vacancy rate steady

New Zealand's job vacancy rate held steady last month, with Otago recording the only monthly decline, the ANZ National Bank said yesterday.

The job vacancy rate for November was 3 per cent, unchanged from the previous month. That compared with a 4 1/2 -year high of 3.1 per cent reached in August and July.

The newspaper job vacancy rate was also steady, at 1.7 per cent, while internet job vacancies were unchanged at 1.3 per cent.

ANZ economist John Bolsover said newspaper job vacancies had gradually declined from highs above 2 per cent in 2003-2004, despite high employment levels. More employers were moving to web-based searches.

Auckland, Waikato, Hawkes Bay, and Manawatu all recorded rises. Wellington was unchanged for the fifth successive month, and Canterbury also paused.

- NZPA