Net pushes job ads up

A surge in internet ads pushed job advertising to a record in September for the second month running.

The ANZ job ads survey showed nationwide job advertisements rose 0.9 per cent in September to 48,504, eclipsing last month's record.

The bank, which has conducted the survey for 10 years, said internet advertising was the main reason for the month's increase. It went up 3.7 per cent to 14,734 jobs. Newspaper job ads fell 0.2 per cent to 33,769.

The September increase means job advertising has risen 15.4 per cent over the previous 12 months, the biggest annual increase since December last year.

The ANZ said the increase was a consequence of strength in regional New Zealand.

This year, growth in the big cities had slowed, but nationwide job growth had continued.

This suggested "provincial New Zealand has been the powerhouse of job ad growth in recent times".

The ANZ said the high level of job ads showed strong demand for skilled and unskilled labour.

Yesterday, the Institute of Economic Research's Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion indicated a shortage of labour had become the main constraint of economic growth.

- NZPA