Sustained job growth in Canterbury has resulted in a significant 29% jump in new jobs in the region from April 2011, and it’s no longer exclusively blue-collar roles leading the charge, as revealed by the SEEK New Job Ad Index today.

Nationally, new jobs listed on seek.co.nz, New Zealand’s largest jobs source, dipped 4% last month, but Canterbury continues to buck the trend. While blue-collar industries remain hot spots of employment opportunity in the region, other sectors are catching up. Janet Faulding, General Manager SEEK New Zealand explains;

“For some time there has been evidence of the Christchurch rebuild driving strong job growth and, in addition to the on-going high demand for builders and labourers in the region, job opportunities for skilled white-collar professionals are now on the up too as the city progresses from demolition mode to reconstruction,” she says.

Banking and finance roles, marketing roles and legal positions in particular have shown robust increases year-on-year.

Top 5 industries by growth in Canterbury

A shift can also be seen in the areas of greatest opportunity in Canterbury’s labour market, with an increasing number of professional industries entering the top five, as organisations get back to business. Kiwis looking for a new role in IT or office support will find a number of new opportunities on seek.co.nz.

Top 5 industries with highest number of advertised jobs in Canterbury

The positive growth in the Canterbury employment market can also be seen in the region’s 6.3% rise in the SEEK Employment Index (SEI) for April. The SEI is the ratio of new job ads placed on seek.co.nz to applications for these positions. This growth in the SEI shows the number of new jobs in Canterbury is rising faster than the number of applications for those roles. In comparison, the SEI rose by just 1% nationally, placing fluctuations of supply and demand of labour on an equal footing.

“These results are encouraging news not just for Cantabrians but also jobseekers outside of the region who are looking for a new opportunity. If you have some of the skills needed or are willing to be trained into a new role, why not jump onto SEEK and take a look at what’s available,” says Ms Faulding.