Recruitment company Hudson says, employers intention to hire staff has reached a peak of six years in its Forward Focus 2016 report.
People working in Construction, Property and Engineering sector, are in high demand in both Auckland (net 43.6%) and Christchurch (net 30.7%), reflecting growth in infrastructure and the nationwide push to fill the housing shortage.
“Large scale projects in each of the three major cities will continue to drive that trajectory,” says Hudson New Zealand general manager Roman Rogers.
“In Christchurch, there is still the rebuild and some years’ worth of investment. Projects of national importance are evident across the country; Auckland has multiple road projects, and there’s a new wave of investment in the CBD and ongoing property projects as a flow-on from the housing shortage,” says Rogers.
Hudson canvassed the views of 1,188 employers, and 1,286 employees in November 2015. It says more than 92.5% of surveyed companies are planning to increase or maintain headcount in the first half of the year.
Survey results also indicate that 63% of the New Zealand workforce will be open to new opportunities in 2016, creating an increasingly fluid job market.
Rogers says manufacturing, transport, tourism, financial services and, chiefly, IT have regained market momentum.
Employers in the IT industry dominate the latest figures, with a net 40.7% looking to increase or maintain permanent headcount across all three of the main metropolitan centres; Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch.
Hudsons says tech businesses are booming in the Auckland, and Christchurch hubs and government projects are behind the growth in Wellington.
“Organisations are looking to bring greater efficiencies to what they do, and if they’re not, then their customers are demanding it,” says Rogers.
“There is a lack of tolerance for organisations with antiquated technology. We see a real groundswell keep pace with that demand, with organisations recognising a need for IT investment to stay relevant,” says Rogers.
Employers have cited organisational growth as the number one reason to add to headcount (52%), followed by increased workload (43%).
“Growth is a good problem to have; it reflects a productive economy. While it makes talent attraction harder, it also means more customers and revenue for your business,” says Rogers.
