SEEK NZ’s June Employment Report shows 10.7% annual rise in job ad volumes, now at their highest point for more than two years

Job advertisements nationally are 10% higher than they were a year ago, according to employment marketplace SEEK NZ.

The latest SEEK NZ Employment Report, for June, shows job ad volumes edged up just 0.2% in June, but have risen continuously since December 2024.

“Nationally, job ads are now 10.7% above where they were a year ago, representing a slow but steady increase in hiring activity, and volumes now sit at their highest point in more than two years,” SEEK says.

Job ads are a good indicator of trends in the labour market. Official labour market figures for the March 2026 quarter from Statistics NZ showed unemployment at 5.3%, down from 5.4% in the December 2025 quarter. 

Stats NZ will release the June 2026 quarter labour market statistics on August 5.

SEEK's June Employment Report shows applications per job ad, which are recorded with a one-month lag, were flat in May. SEEK says applications per job ad have gradually eased since their peak in mid-2025. 

“This easing of candidate competition is a positive signal, considering its elevated level, though conditions remain challenging for jobseekers.”

The report found monthly increases in job ads were recorded across most industries, with job ads within the industrial, and construction sectors, and parts of the public sector, leading June’s growth.

A 35.1% year-on-year increase for construction workers made it the fastest industry for annual growth.

Mining, resources & energy recorded the largest monthly rise in job ads of 4.0%, followed by community services & development, up 2.4% in June, and manufacturing, transport & logistics also supported overall growth, up 1.9% in June.

SEEK Country Manager Rob Clark described the NZ job market as showing; “the kind of quiet resilience that isn’t show stopping but matters enormously to job seekers and hirers.”

“The recovery is steady, broadening geographically and deepening in some of the largest industries. Activity in the regions is particularly encouraging, driven primarily by the industrial and construction sectors, while small pockets of the professional and consumer services sectors continue to navigate slower hiring activity,” he says.

“On balance, the direction of travel for the employment market is positive, and June was another step in the right direction.”

Regions outperform metropolitan areas

The report found regional NZ continued to outperform the main metropolitan cities in June. The South Island and regional areas of the North recorded the strongest annual growth.

Southland recorded a 23.3% annual increase, while Otago rose 20.6% year-on-year.

SEEK says both regions benefited from infrastructure investment and ongoing demand in construction and trades & services roles. 

Taranaki also recorded a 30.4% annual gain, its highest jump in recent months according to SEEK, due predominantly to rising job ads within mining, resources & energy.

Canterbury maintained its position as one of New Zealand's more resilient regional labour markets, with job ads up 1.3% month-on-month and 21.5% year-on-year. SEEK says the region continues to benefit from construction activity as well as steady demand in the professional and consumer services sectors.

Auckland and Wellington recorded more subdued monthly movements in June, with Auckland down 0.4 % month-on-month, but up 5.0% year-on-year. In comparison, Wellington was up 0.9% month-on-month and up 11.1% year-on-year in June. 

“While annual growth in both cities remains positive, the pace is softer than in the regions, and the capital continues to work through the structural adjustments that followed the significant public sector changes of recent years,” SEEK says.

Increase in AI

Job ads that reference Artificial Intelligence (AI) skills have increased 3.9% month-on-month and are now 107.3% higher year-on-year, according to SEEK's report.

SEEK says some of the most common AI terms referenced in job ads are ‘agentic AI’, which has risen 134.4% year-on-year, ‘generative AI’, which is up 100.7% year-on-year and ‘AI ethics and governance ’ references, which have risen by more than four times in volume year-on-year (330.1%).

Despite this, only 3.5% of total job ads refer to AI or AI skills, and these are mostly concentrated within information & communication technology, marketing & communications and consulting & strategy roles.

“Occupations more likely to be impacted by AI automation, which include roles within legal, accounting and other professional services, are still rising year-on-year. Jobs with low automation exposure are growing much faster. AI has not been directly reducing those roles,” Clark says.