‘Job hunter’s market’ takes hold in South Island
Auckland and Wellington are neck and neck in the fight to be the country’s highest-paying city.
Trade Me analysed its 72,000 vacancies listed on the website over the past three months and found the difference in the average annual salary in Wellington and Auckland was less than $2.
Wellington City jobs had experienced significantly higher wage growth than Auckland jobs.
The average salary in Wellington City, at $71,558, was up 7 per cent compared with last year.
Auckland’s average wage was $71,560, an increase of just 0.2 per cent on July last year.
Head of Trade Me Jobs Jeremy Wade said: ‘‘With lower living costs and employers putting more money on the table, the grass could be greener for employees in the capital.’’
Wade said those in the regions immediately surrounding Auckland could be expected to echo Auckland City’s slow wage growth in the next few months.
‘‘However, if the Government decisions around key infrastructure projects provide some market certainty, we should see it bounce back pretty quickly.’’
Wade attributed a chunk of Wellington’s job growth to the Labourled Government’s rise to power.
He advised those looking to change jobs in the next year to do it sooner rather than later. ‘‘It’s a job hunter’s market, with the average number of job applications down 6.3 per cent across the country.’’
Wade said it helped those hunting that the economy was doing well and the country was near natural full employment.
‘‘With employer confidence at a five-year low and job growth flattening, the job market is evening out and it looks like a good time to dust off that CV if you want to make a move. If things continue this way, we could see a dip in job ads in the next quarter and a swing back towards employers with more applicants than roles in some sectors.’’
Regions in the South Island had the largest boost in the number of job listings, especially the West Coast, which was up 19.8 per cent, Nelson, up 18.8 per cent, and Southland, up 18.4 per cent.
The national average salary is more than $10,000 less than the country’s biggest cities at $60,970.
The number of job listings were flat year-on-year.
Wade said this was because of strong growth this time last year, ‘‘which is why we’re now seeing the dust settle’’.
The surrounding Wellington region saw similar wage growth to the inner city, increasing 7.1 per cent over the last year to $66,461.
Of the different sectors, Trade Me data revealed information technology to be the most lucrative.
‘‘The IT sector still offers the highest average salary at $112,811, followed by roles in the property sector at $84,657 and the architecture sector at $83,218,’’ Wade said.
Of the website’s advertised jobs over the last quarter, IT roles made up all of the top five highest paid. IT architects earned the most, with an average salary of $156,402.
The construction sector was a much tighter market, with job listings down 13.8 per cent compared with last year.
Wade said uncertainty was to blame, with employers ‘‘in limbo’’ and large construction ventures on hold, such as the Otaki-Levin roading project.