Skilled job vacancies advertised online increased by 0.7 per cent for the month of January, and were up 6.3 per cent in the past year to January, according to the latest Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Jobs Online report.
January’s increase in skilled vacancies was driven by the construction and engineering (up 1.4 per cent), and hospitality and tourism (up 1.1 per cent) industries. The occupation groups with the biggest month-on-month increases were managers (up 1.6 per cent), followed by technicians and trade workers (up 1.3 per cent), MBIE says in a statement.
Skilled job vacancies increased in most regions. The Bay of Plenty region had the highest growth, both monthly and annually (up 2.4 per cent and 27.8 per cent respectively). This was followed by Waikato with an increase of 2.1 per cent over the past month.
The Ministry’s Labour Market and Business Performance Manager David Paterson says over the year, growth in skilled vacancies remained strong. This has been underpinned by demand for technicians and trades workers (up 11.0 per cent).
“The monthly increase in vacancies is consistent with the latest results from the Household Labour Force Survey showing that the labour market continues to be strong, with increased labour demand and expanded labour supply,” says Paterson.
