0 More good news on jobs

There's more good news on the jobs front this morning; the Dom-Post reports:

The number of jobs advertised online is growing across most industry groups and occupations, government figures show.
The latest Jobs Online report from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said skilled vacancies rose by 2.5 per cent in June, while all vacancies increased by 1.7 per cent compared with the month before.
Over the past year, skilled vacancies advertised online increased by 16.5 per cent, while all vacancies increased by 17.2 per cent, MBIE said.
The biggest increases in skilled vacancies in June were in the construction and engineering industries, up 7.4 per cent, and the hospitality and tourism sector, up 1.4 per cent.
Over the year to June, vacancies in these industries have increased by 40.2 per cent and 27.6 per cent respectively.
The only industry to show a decrease in advertised jobs in June was the healthcare and medical sector, with vacancies down 0.4 per cent compared with the month before.
Skilled vacancies increased across all occupation groups in June, with the strongest increase shown for managers, up 2.4 per cent, and professionals, up 2.3 per cent.
The report showed the number of skilled vacancies increased in all regions in June as well over the year.
The biggest monthly regional increase was in the Auckland region, up 2.9 per cent, followed by the South Island (excluding Canterbury), which was up 1.8 per cent.
Over the year, the biggest increase was in the South Island (excluding Canterbury), up 26.1 per cent, followed by Auckland and Canterbury, which were up by 17.5 per cent and 14.6 per cent respectively. 

These are impressive figures, and confirm the finding of the Household Labour Force Survey for the March quarter which showed the Labour Force Participation Rate at its highest ever level.

The next HLFS is due out in early August, and there is likely to be a further fall in unemployment. That is further evidence that the economy is growing, employers are hiring, and that Bill English's conservative financial stewardship has steered New Zealand in the right direction. It's little wonder then that around two thirds of those surveyed in the two most recent polls are optimistic about New Zealand's future.

0 More good news, this time on jobs

David Cunliffe wants a positive election campaign, and has ordered his MP's to stop their attacks on their National opposites. Time will tell how well that goes.

But when it comes to positivity, it doesn't get much more positive than news of significant job growth; Scoop Business reports:

Monday, 7 July 2014, 10:27 am
Press Release: Trademe
7 July 2013
Kiwi job market shows growth from Northland to Southland
All regions across the country recorded growth in the number of jobs advertised on Trade Me Jobs according to an analysis of listings onsite in the April-June quarter.
Head of Trade Me Jobs, Peter Osborne, said the number of job listings nationwide was up 19% on the same period in 2013, continuing the healthy job market trend evident since the September quarter. “Growth in listings has been very strong, despite the potential handbrake effect of the unusual combination of Easter and Anzac Day holidays in March, and a Budget that had a cooling effect on the number of jobs advertised in May.”
Mr Osborne said most advertisers were upbeat. “We’re hearing plenty of optimistic reports from recruiters and employers, and the majority are planning to keep on hiring too.”
He said improved economic and employment opportunities in New Zealand also contributed to the lowest ever level of migration to Australia in May. “Kiwis are increasingly likely to stay in New Zealand which is good news for NZ Inc, and is also complemented by returning expats who have noticed things on the improve back here in New Zealand.”
The national picture
Mr Osborne said the lift in advertised roles in all regions was a “pretty unusual but very welcome” result. Auckland still shines brightly (up 21%), while Canterbury and Wellington maintained their considerable growth trajectories (up 21% and 15% respectively). 
Waikato was another standout performer with job ad growth of 24%, and Otago comfortably reached double digits with a 16% lift.

This is fantastic news, and confirms anecdotal evidence of significant job growth right across the country. Here's the regional breakdown, lifted from the presser:

That there is job growth right across the country, and not just in Canterbury and Auckland as claimed by opposition parties is fantastic for New Zealand. The Government has put a lot of effort into getting people into employment, and as the economy continues to grow at a faster rate than most of our trading partners, significant decreases in the unemployment rate will follow. The Household Labour Force Survey to the end of March showed that more New Zealanders were in work than ever before.

And whilst the construction sector leads the job growth, it's not the sole area of growth. Here are the jobs by category:

 

It's heartening to see a 33% increase in the number of manufacturing jobs being advertised. Twelve of the 22 job categories reported by TradeMe reported double-digit growth from 2013 to 2014. That is suggestive of a very broad-based economic recover.

 And look at the highlighted category. LabourGreenNZFirstMana continues to insist that New Zealand manufacturing is in crisis when in fact the Performance of Manufacturing Index has been in positive territory for eighteen consecutive months, and job growth in almost 34% up over a twelve-month period. Crisis? What crisis?

The New Zealand economy is recovering strongly from the Global Financial Crisis and the associated recession. Bill English has got the books back in surplus four years ahead of what Treasury was forecasting in the 2008 Prefu. Unemployment is falling, and more New Zealanders are in work than ever before.

John Key has a very positive message to take to the electorate. David Cunliffe can promise all things to all people, but the numbers that matter are the ones being generated by the party who holds the purse-strings.

As New Zealanders prepare to go to the polls on 20th September, we are sure that they will indeed "vote positive", although we wonder if that should actually be "vote positively", to be strictly correct.
They will vote for the party which has proven to be a prudent manager of the economy through the toughest economic conditions since the Great Depression. And the "vote positive" sentiment will give John Key and Bill English third terms in their respective roles.

0 More good news

It may be a lousy day outside today, but there's still good news in abundance; the Herald reports:

Employment confidence is at its highest level in nearly six years and Auckland has overtaken Canterbury as the most confident region in the latest Westpac McDermott Miller Employment Confidence Index survey.
The index rose to 109.9 in the June quarter from 108.4 in the March quarter. The June quarter level is the highest since September 2008, when the global financial crisis was affecting sentiment. A number over 100 indicates optimists outnumber pessimists.
Still, the index remains considerably below the 135.9 peak in September 2007, a year prior to the global financial crisis.
Employment confidence was net positive for ten out of 11 regions, and Auckland overtook Canterbury as the most confident region.
"Auckland's unemployment rate deteriorated by more than the rest of the country during the recession, and has been slow to improve since then," Westpac chief economist Dominick Stephens said. "In that light, the latest survey suggests the region's job market is no longer underperforming."

This is great news, especially the increase in confidence in the Auckland job market, which is New Zealand's biggest by far. With the March Household Labour Force Survey confirming there were more people in the workforce in New Zealand than ever before, it is another sign that employers are confident that the economic recovery is not a flash in the pan.

Doubtless the opposition parties will try to talk these figures down, because a narrative of economic success does not suit them going into an election campaign. At the moment however, we would suggest that one of the biggest threats to employment (for Labour MP's at least) is Labour's continued poor polling which makes it increasingly likely that several current MP's will be looking for a new gig after September 20th.

But the numbers don't lie; employment is growing, and there is a growing level of optimism with regards to future employment growth. That's something we all should be celebrating.