Job market strong

The job market has had a strong start to the year, with the number of vacancies listed on Trade Me Jobs skyrocketing in the first quarter. Trade Me Jobs spokesperson Matt Tolich said, nationwide, the number of job listings on the site increased by 22 per cent in the first three months of 2021 when compared with the same period in 2020. The largest year-on-year increases in listings in the first quarter were seen in the automotive sector, where therewas a 50 per cent jump in vacancies, the construction and roading sector, whichwas up 43 per cent, and the manufacturing and operations sector, up 40 per cent. Tolich said the increases in these sectors could be put down to a lack of migrant workers. Nationwide, every region had a year-on-year increase in job listings in the first quarter, Tolich said. The biggest increases were in Gisborne, with a 56 per cent increase in job vacancies, Hawke’s Bay, up 54 per cent, and Nelson/tasman, up 47 per cent.