Where to Look for Work in New Zealand: A Simple Guide to the Newest Jobs Figures

News · 2026-08-28 · 4 min read

Are you thinking about moving to New Zealand for work? The newest employment figures are worth reading. They are not just economic facts. They work like a map that shows where the real chances are right now, and where hiring is weaker.

The big picture in a few numbers

According to Stats NZ's latest employment indicators, the labour market added roughly 18,000 filled jobs over the year to July. That brings the national total to 2.34 million. Looking month to month, on a seasonally adjusted basis, employers added another 7,746 roles between June and July, a lift of 0.3%.

But the headline number is not the most useful part if you are planning a move. What matters more is which industries, regions and age groups are hiring.

Health care leads the way

Healthcare is the clear leader. Healthcare and social assistance grew by 6,581 jobs over the year, an increase of 2.3%. This makes it the largest single source of new jobs in the country. If you have experience in nursing, aged care, allied health or support work, this is probably the strongest positive signal in the data.

Other industries growing, and one shrinking

Public administration and safety: up 6,418 jobs (4%)
Education and training: up 2,630 roles (1.2%)
Construction: up 1,810 jobs (0.9%). This is helpful news for tradespeople, because construction closely follows investment in housing and infrastructure.
Professional, scientific and technical services: down 2,078 jobs (1.1%)

That last group covers a large part of NZ's office-based and tech-related workforce. If you plan to move for a consulting, IT or scientific-services job, keep this weakness in mind, even while healthcare and public-sector jobs are growing.

Best regions for job growth

Where you live matters as much as what you do. Canterbury was the top region, adding 6,824 jobs over the year (2.2%). This suggests the Christchurch economy, during the rebuild and after it, still has strong momentum. Auckland (+4,427) and Waikato (+3,330) also grew well, and Otago added 1,710.

Northland went the other way. It lost 1,526 jobs, a fall of 2.1%, and the biggest drop of any region Stats NZ highlighted. If you are choosing a region, remember this: the South Island and the central North Island are currently doing better than the north.

How age and gender affect hiring

The figures by gender and age give skilled migrants and their families more to think about:

Women gained most of the yearly job growth, with 7,959 roles (0.7%), compared with 3,819 (0.3%) for men.
Workers aged 65 and over did very well. Their employment rose 4.1%, adding 5,407 jobs. This is good to know if you are moving later in your career or want to keep working past the usual retirement age.
The 35-to-39 age group had the biggest gain in raw numbers, up 9,030 jobs (3.2%).
People in the 30-to-34 group lost ground, down 5,180 jobs (1.8%).

Pay is going up too

Job numbers are not the only thing rising. Total gross earnings across New Zealand reached $16.5 billion in July. That is up $607 million (3.8%) on the year. It shows employers are paying more, not only hiring more. This matters if you are planning your budget around expected take-home pay.

How to use these figures in your plan

Put together, the data shows a clear pattern. Healthcare, public administration, education and construction are growing fastest. Canterbury and Waikato are ahead of the rest of the country. Older workers and women are seeing especially strong gains. On the other side, professional and technical services, Northland, and workers in their early thirties are facing a harder market.

Stats NZ says these figures stay provisional for three months while payday filing data comes in. So treat them as a strong early signal, not the final answer. Still, they are a good starting point when you decide which industry, and which region, gives you the best chance of finding work quickly.

If you are applying from Indonesia, start early: prepare an English-language CV, and check whether your visa or employer needs an English test such as IELTS or PTE.

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