SEEK says job ads dipped in December, with Auckland down 1.1% and competition still high.

Nationally, job ad volumes fell 0.3% after six months of rises.

Applications per job ad eased by 0.1%, so the fight for roles remains tight.

Rob Clark, SEEK NZ Country Manager, says: “This first decline in ad volumes in over a year was only slight, but has halted the stable-to-positive trend we were enjoying throughout 2025.”

For Coasties watching the Auckland market, the report says the monthly drop was linked to weaker demand in Retail & Consumer Products (-5.2%) and Hospitality & Tourism (-3.3%), among other areas.

Auckland also recorded a 0.7% fall year on year.

Some regions still moved the other way.

Taranaki rose 3.0% month on month, with Manawatu and Gisborne both up 2.1%.

The report links much of that lift to increased hiring in Construction.

Construction also led industry growth nationally in December, up 3.4% month on month.

Over the past year, Construction job ads rose 42.9%.

Engineering grew 2.6% in December, and Trades & Services lifted 1.5%.

SEEK says the long-term picture points to a labour market recovery, with opportunities expanding in pockets as New Zealand heads into 2026.

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