According to Seek’s July employment report, New Zealand job ads fell 0.8% from June, marking the third consecutive month of declines in a still-soft labour market. Seek New Zealand country manager Rob Clark stated that advertised roles continued to drop with only pockets of growth nationwide, while revised figures wiped out earlier signs of growth and showed vacancies had actually fallen for the past four months.
Regional Divides Deepen Across New Zealand
Conditions remain strongest in the South Island, according to Seek data, while larger North Island centres including Auckland, Wellington, and Waikato continue to face greater headwinds. Auckland job ads fell 0.9% in July, driven by lower demand in sales, manufacturing, transport, logistics, trades, and services. Wellington recorded a 1.3% drop, with government, defence, accounting, healthcare, and medical roles contributing to the decline.
Only four regions recorded monthly growth in July: Hawke’s Bay, Marlborough, the West Coast, and Otago. Seek reported that South Island growth outside Canterbury was supported by hospitality, tourism, and construction roles. Meanwhile, Canterbury declined for the second consecutive month, dropping 0.3% as a fall in construction offset gains in manufacturing, transport, logistics, trades, and services.
Did you know? Applications per job ad, which are reported with a one-month lag, rose 1.6% in June, indicating that a growing number of candidates are competing for a shrinking pool of vacancies.
Industry Performance: Mining Gains While Construction Weakens
At an industry level, mining, resources, and energy showed the strongest momentum, with ads up 3.3% for the month and 38.5% over the year, according to Seek. Education and training, engineering, and real estate and property also posted monthly gains in July.
Conversely, the construction sector weakened nationally, falling 0.9% after helping lift regional hiring in recent months. Healthcare and medical ads continued their downward trend, dropping 1.4% in July, while trades and services made the largest contribution to the overall monthly fall.
These employment trends follow official labour market data showing that New Zealand’s unemployment rate rose to 5.6% in the June quarter, accompanied by an increase in underutilisation as the broader economy remains under pressure.
Artificial Intelligence Mentions in Job Advertisements
The July employment report also included Seek’s latest tracking of artificial intelligence references in job ads, though this represents a minor share of the overall labour market. Seek noted that AI references were most common in information and communication technology roles. The data showed measurable growth in mentions regarding AI ethics and governance, agentic AI, and generative AI.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Seek revise its earlier job ad figures?
Seek used recalibrated data to show that job ads have actually fallen for the past four months, wiping out previously reported signs of growth.
Which New Zealand regions are experiencing job growth?
According to Seek’s July report, only four regions recorded monthly growth: Hawke’s Bay, Marlborough, the West Coast, and Otago.
How is competition changing for job seekers?
Applications per job ad rose 1.6% in June based on lagged data, meaning more candidates are competing for fewer open positions.
Which industries are performing best right now?
Mining, resources, and energy showed the strongest momentum with a 3.3% monthly increase, alongside gains in education, engineering, and real estate.
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