The average number of filled jobs reached 2.14 million in the September 2021 quarter, continuing the growth in filled jobs seen throughout the year, Stats NZ said today.
After adjusting for seasonal patterns, filled jobs have risen by 1.8 percent (38,000 jobs) in the September 2021 quarter when compared with the June 2021 quarter.
These figures reflect the increasingly strong labour market seen in other data sources such as the Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS), which reported the unemployment rate falling to a series low of 3.4 percent in the September 2021 quarter.
“The ability to keep employees on the payroll with the COVID-19 wage subsidy may have also dampened the effect that lockdown had on job numbers in the September quarter,” employment indicators manager Sue Chapman said.
| Quarter | Filled jobs (seasonally adjusted) |
| Sep-18 | 2043371 |
| Dec-18 | 2059732 |
| Mar-19 | 2073551 |
| Jun-19 | 2087501 |
| Sep-19 | 2100776 |
| Dec-19 | 2118676 |
| Mar-20 | 2121152 |
| Jun-20 | 2106637 |
| Sep-20 | 2104821 |
| Dec-20 | 2099795 |
| Mar-21 | 2104662 |
| Jun-21 | 2127270 |
| Sep-21 | 2165102 |
Health care and social assistance was the largest driver of the increase in filled jobs for the September 2021 quarter, increasing by 2.5 percent (about 6,100 filled jobs) when compared with the June 2021 quarter.
Administrative and support services was up 4.5 percent (4,200 jobs) on the previous quarter, while accommodation and food services rose 3.0 percent (4,200 jobs). However, both of these industries are still below their pre-COVID-19 highs after adjusting for seasonality.
Transport, postal, and warehousing is the industry furthest below pre-COVID-19 levels – down 8.3 percent from the March 2020 quarter.
“The main contributor to this drop was the airline industry, which has had to reduce services considerably since the COVID-19 pandemic began,” Ms Chapman said.
| Industry (ANZSIC06) | Percentage change |
| Construction | 9.3 |
| Financial and Insurance Services | 6.7 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 6.6 |
| Other Services | 5.7 |
| “Professional | 5.6 |
| Scientific | 4.5 |
| and Technical Service” | 3.3 |
| Public Administration and Safety | 3.1 |
| “Electricity | 2 |
| Gas | 1.7 |
| Water | -0.4 |
| and Waste Services” | -0.6 |
| “Agriculture | -0.6 |
| Forestry | -1.6 |
| and Fishing” | -2.8 |
| “Rental | -3.4 |
| Hiring | -3.9 |
| and Real Estate Services” | -4.7 |
| Mining | -8.3 |
| Retail Trade | |
| Wholesale Trade | |
| Accommodation and Food Services | |
| Manufacturing | |
| Education and Training | |
| Administrative and Support Services | |
| Information Media and Telecommunications | |
| Arts and Recreation Services | |
| “Transport | |
| Postal | |
| and Warehousing” |
In regional terms, Marlborough and Otago are the only two regions sitting below their March 2020 quarter levels after adjusting for seasonal effects.
Auckland, New Zealand’s most populous region, had 0.6 percent more filled jobs in the September 2021 quarter than in the March 2020 quarter. This is below the nationwide average of 1.6 percent growth over this time period.
Hawke’s Bay was one of the fastest growing regions – filled jobs by employee location have risen by 5.6 percent (4,100 jobs) since the March 2020 quarter.
| Region | Percentage change |
| Northland | 3.6 |
| Auckland | 0.6 |
| Waikato | 3.5 |
| Bay of Plenty | 2.2 |
| Gisborne | 4.3 |
| Hawke’s Bay | 5.6 |
| Taranaki | 3.6 |
| Manawatu-Whanganui | 2.4 |
| Wellington | 1.9 |
| Tasman | 4.1 |
| Nelson | 0.4 |
| Marlborough | -1.1 |
| West Coast | 6.0 |
| Canterbury | 0.9 |
| Otago | -1.0 |
| Southland | 2.0 |
