Employees are second-guessing career moves amid post-summer rebound in job listings
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East is making employees second-guess their plans to find a new job amid widespread openness to a new role in 2026.
This is according to the latest job market insights from Trade Me Jobs, which showed that the number of employees keen to explore their employment options is up 12% from the previous year.
The findings showed that 96% of employees are actively looking or open to a new job in 2026, while 49% expect to change jobs in the next year.
Nicole Williams, head of Trade Me Jobs, said the findings show that the job market is at a turning point, but the timing is "difficult" for jobseekers due to the Middle East conflict.
"We're seeing a record number of people wanting to move, but the Iran War has introduced a level of economic uncertainty that wasn't there when we spoke to job hunters," Williams said.
"While workers are looking for better pay and career growth, the global situation is making both businesses and candidates second-guess their next steps."
Challenge for employers
The doubts about career decisions come in the wake of employment challenges for employers, according to the report, with 32% of businesses citing finding good quality candidates as their biggest barrier in recruitment.
The report also indicated a bigger problem within organisations that's putting retention at risk.
According to the findings, the top reason why employees want to resign is because of their desire to leave their current role, fuelled strongly by unhappiness with business culture (16%) and feeling undervalued (16%).
Employers are also placing emphasis on job security, despite employees seeking better pay, flexibility, and career progression.
"The New Zealand job market is at a turning point, but employers and employees are not on the same page," Williams said.
"While workers are looking for better pay, flexibility, and career growth, employers are still focused on offering job security, a mismatch for what today's candidates want."
Job listings in New Zealand were up 31.9% in the first quarter of 2026 and up 10.1% compared to the same time last year, according to Trade Me Jobs data.
This is a significant post-summer rebound for the job market, with the South Island reporting the strongest year-on-year (35.8%) growth in worker demand. This is followed by Nelson/Tasman (284%) and Canterbury (20.5%).
Auckland and Wellington, however, saw modest growth with 0.3% and 3.7%, respectively.
