Strong lift in hiring activity in January, jobs data shows

Seek NZ country manager Rob Clark says he expects to see more optimism among hirers at the start of the year. Photo / 123rf

Hiring activity rose 4% in January after a difficult 2024, according to Seek’s Employment Report.

It was the strongest monthly growth since a 4% rise in July last year – one of only two increases in job ad volumes for the year.

Seek NZ country manager Rob Clark said it was good to see hiring activity rising.

“After six months of consistently falling job ads in the early half of 2024, the rate of decline in the past six months has slowed,” Clark said.

“While it was pleasing to see growth in January, it is a bit too early to say that volumes have stabilised.

“We do expect more optimism among hirers at the start of the year, and this month’s numbers may be more a sign of a return to business after the summer break, than a longer term trend.”

Job ad volumes were now down 17% year on year.

The hospitality and tourism sector continued to see notable growth in hiring activity, rising 3% in January.

That helped boost the Otago region, which experienced an 8% lift in job ads in January.

Job ad volumes were now down just 1% year on year in Otago.

The rise in ad volumes in January was led by increasing demand for public sector workers, particularly within education and training (18%), Government and defence (9%) and healthcare and medical roles (5%).

Also supporting the monthly rise in job ads were consumer services roles, with call centre and customer service (31%) and retail and consumer products (18%) recording significant rises.

Meanwhile, applications per job ad rose 2% in December (a lag month) compared with November.

Applications per job ad are 26% higher year on year, though growth appears to have slowed, Seek said.

“Though the rate of growth has decreased significantly over the past year, competition remains extremely fierce for the job opportunities available,” the report said.