Northland applications up 39 percent

Employment applications in Northland are up almost 40%

Applications for Northland jobs listed on Trade Me were up nearly 40 per cent last quarter, compared to the same time the previous year.

Trade Me data shows the number of jobs listed on the site in the three months to the end of September was unchanged compared to the same period last year. However, the number of applications was up 39.6 per cent. Average pay for listed jobs was down 1.7 per cent to $55,267.

Direction Recruitment manager Paula Kalkhoven said the business had a busy September.

Many people from Auckland and Australia had come to the area thanks to Northland's affordable real estate prices, she said.

Ms Kalkhoven said Northland was an "up and coming" area and now needed more industry to encourage more people out of the big cities.

She said a lot of businesses were looking for new employees, which was "fantastic" for the area.

Good, strong administrators were always in need and hospitality roles were also picking up with summer coming up.

She said accountants with good experience were hard to find.

Engineering and trades roles were available but companies were waiting for the right people to fill them, said Ms Kalkhoven.

Head of Trade Me Jobs, Peter Osborne, said roles advertised across the country were up only 1.2 per cent in the quarter when compared to the previous year, with the biggest lifts in the Bay of Plenty, Auckland and Hawke's Bay.

He said the number of job applications increased over the quarter, with employers finding it easier to fill new roles.

"With fewer jobs and more applicants, employers won't have to stretch the budget as much to compete for candidates. As a result, we expect that average salaries will show little if any growth over the coming quarter."

Mr Osborne said job hunters in Auckland sent 17 per cent more job applications in the 12 months to September 2015 when compared to the previous year. He said there had also been a noticeable lift in interest for roles outside Auckland.