Seek's April employment report shows New Zealand's job ad numbers are still rising, with 13.1 percent more ads than a year ago — but the number of applications per ad has been falling for seven months, as candidate activity declines from the peak reached in August 2025.
New Zealand's job market is sending mixed signals. On one hand, hiring demand is still rising — the number of national job advertisements on Seek was up 0.8 percent in April compared with March, and up 13.1 percent compared with a year earlier. On the other hand, the number of applications each job receives has been falling for seven consecutive months, as workers have become less active in switching roles than they were during the peak period in mid-2025.
Seek Country Manager Rob Clark described the overall picture as a market that remains in a "steady, if unspectacular" upward trend, with the increased job ad activity seen through early 2026 holding its shape rather than fading.
Construction and trades driving the numbers
The standout sector in April was construction. Job ads in that category rose 2.5 percent month-on-month and were 44.8 percent higher than a year earlier — the largest annual gain of any sector. Seek said this reflected robust infrastructure and building activity, particularly in the South Island, which has been a consistent outperformer throughout the current economic cycle.
Trades and Services, and Manufacturing, Transport and Logistics also posted solid monthly gains of 3.4 percent and 2.8 percent respectively, consistent with ongoing recovery in operational and supply-chain roles.
Information and Communication Technology job ads rose 1.3 percent month-on-month and 13 percent year-on-year. Healthcare and Community Services postings also continued to climb, pointing to persistent demand in essential services.
The South Island effect
Clark said the South Island has been where the numbers are most striking, driven by a concentration of goods-producing industries, infrastructure activity, and operational roles that have proven relatively resilient. Otago job ads were up 3.4 percent month-on-month and 31.7 percent year-on-year, while Southland posted gains of 2.9 percent monthly and 30 percent annually.
Metropolitan areas Auckland and Wellington also saw gains — up 1.6 percent and 0.4 percent respectively for the month — with annual gains of around 11 percent, though Clark noted recovery in the major cities arrived later and is still finding its pace relative to the South.
AI demand is doubling, but from a small base
One notable trend in the data is the rapid growth in demand for AI-related skills. Job ads referencing AI have more than doubled in the past year and were up 4.1 percent month-on-month when comparing April to March. AI-related roles in consulting and strategy saw the sharpest monthly increase at 14.3 percent.
While the growth rate is striking, the total number of AI-specific roles remains small relative to the broader job market. The figure is more indicative of how quickly employers across multiple sectors are incorporating AI skill requirements into existing roles rather than a signal of wholesale labour market transformation.
What the gap between ads and applications means
The divergence between rising job ad numbers and falling applications per ad is a pattern worth understanding. More ads and fewer applicants can reflect several things simultaneously: employers who are more willing to hire given the cost environment, combined with workers who are less active in the market than they were during the post-pandemic hiring surge.
For job seekers, the practical implication is that competition for available roles has moderated from the peaks of 2025, which may make individual applications more likely to get traction than they were a year ago when application volumes were higher.
This article is for general information only and is not personalised financial advice. Seek advice from a licensed financial adviser (registered on the FSPR) for guidance specific to your situation.