New SEEK report sees 'strong start to 2026' in the job market
Job ads for human resources roles in New Zealand went up in February as overall labour demand sees its strongest annual increase since 2022, according to the latest SEEK NZ data.
Its latest Employment Report showed that the overall volume of job ads in the country was still up in February, suggesting continued confidence despite the usual seasonal hiring slowdowns.
"The labour market has continued its strong start to 2026, with job adverts up 0.9% month-on-month and 12.2% year-on-year, the strongest annual rise since 2022," said Rob Clark, country manager at SEEK NZ, in a statement.
"The monthly growth is despite minimal change in the largest metro regions of Auckland and Wellington, with Bay of Plenty leading the national uptick in February."
Job adverts per industry
HR and recruitment roles joined most industries in the country that logged an increase in job ads, registering a 1.0% monthly growth in February.
Annually, job adverts were up 14.5% from a year ago, according to the report.
The top three year-on-year job ads growth were recorded in Construction (38.9%), Farming, Animals, and Conservation (29.3%), and Engineering (26.3%).
The strength observed in these three industries drives the overall annual growth in New Zealand, particularly in the South Island.
Otago saw a 23% growth in job adverts since last year. This is just slightly above the increases recorded in:
- Southland (21.3%)
- West Coast (20.9%)
- Canterbury (20.0%)
"Regionally, the South Island is performing strongly, with Otago, Southland, West Coast and Canterbury all up more than 20% annually," Clark said.
"The overall annual growth, particularly in the South Island, reflects ongoing strength in industries such as Construction, Engineering, and Farming, Animals & Conservation."
