The number of jobs advertised online jumped 21% across all regions in the year to January – and the legal profession is at the head of the trend, according to the latest Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment figures.
The ministry’s
Jobs Online monthly report measures changes in job vacancies advertised by businesses on the two main internet job boards, Seek and Trade Me Jobs.
Seasonally adjusted figures show overall vacancies increased by 7.4% last month – the strongest growth over the last four-and-a-half years – and the legal industry appears to be at the forefront.
The ministry release states that the biggest increase across all skilled job vacancy markets was in the “accounting, HR, legal and administration industry” (up 16.1% last month and 23.3% in the year to January).
Interestingly, while there was an increase in skilled vacancies across all regions, the biggest was in the South Island – excluding Canterbury.
Online Skilled Job Vacancy Changes by Region
| Region |
Monthly Change (Dec 13 – Jan 14) |
Annual Change (Jan 13 – Jan 14) |
| South Island – Other |
11.8% |
32.8% |
| Auckland |
9.9% |
24.5% |
| Wellington |
8.4% |
18.1% |
| North Island – Other |
6.5% |
9.1% |
| Canterbury |
4.9% |
19.4% |
| Total skilled job vacancies |
7.4% |
21.0% |
The growth in vacancies over the last few months is consistent with the latest Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS) results. In the December 2013 quarter, employment (up 1.1%) and labour force participation rate (up 0.3%) increased, while unemployment fell (down by 0.2%) over the previous quarter. The Ministry expects the labour market to continue to strengthen, leading to an increase in vacancies.
