But job listings drop as employers think twice about their next hire, report finds
Salaries offered across New Zealand hit a record high in the second quarter of 2025 while job listings took a significant dip, according to Trade Me Jobs.
An analysis of listings in the job portal between April and June showed a national average pay of $73,823, up 1.6% from the previous quarter and 1.5% year-on-year.
Wellington emerged as the highest-paid region with an average pay of $76,851, up 2.2%.
Nicole Williams, Trade Me's Head of Jobs, said it's encouraging to see average wages either remaining flat or increasing across all regions, with only Taranaki seeing a dip of 1.3% during the quarter.
"This trend also extends across nearly all industries with the only category to see a notable decrease in salary being construction and roading, where salaries were down 1.9% year-on-year," Williams said in a statement.
Job listings drop
Despite record-high average pay, Trade Me recorded a 17.7% year-on-year drop and an 8.7% quarterly drop in job listings on the platform.
Nearly every region observed an annual decrease in listings. According to the report, the drops recorded were in:
- Auckland (-5.8%)
- Wellington (-2.7%)
- Canterbury (-2.3%)
- Hawke's Bay (-36.2%)
Only Otago and Southland saw annual increases of 1.4% and 9.7%, respectively.
"We know in the current economic environment businesses are thinking twice about their next hire, but with the OCR (official cash rate) on its way down and the cost of living easing, the outlook for the rest of 2025 is looking more optimistic," Williams said.
Demand for roles remained high despite a drop in job listings, according to the report.
The average number of job applications per job ad is 34 nationwide, with the highest recorded in Auckland with 46.
According to the report, applications are down by 0.1% since the previous quarter and by seven per cent from last year's all-time highs.
"The demand for roles is still strong, despite fewer listings. However, we've seen competition ease back a little from previous quarters," Williams said.
