Jobs Online Measuring changes in the labour market  Earlier this year we outlined the Department’s decision to replace the Job Vacancy Monitor Programme (JVMP) with Jobs Online. This new product has now been launched by Social Development and Employment Minister, Paula Bennett. Jobs Online is a package of indicators that measures change in the number of job vacancies advertised on the main internet job boards. Jobs Online builds on the experience of the Department’s previous JVMP, bringing our data collection into line with modern recruitment and statistical practice.

Key points from Jobs Online for November are:

• The Skilled Vacancies Index shows that the number of ads for skilled jobs increased by 1.5% between August and November 2009. In annual terms, the index for November 2009 was 31% lower than November 2008. A falling index indicates that the job market is softening.
• There has been an upswing in managerial job ads since May 2009.
• Vacancy levels outside the three largest cities have held up more strongly during the recession than in the urban centres. Of the cities, Christchurch held up the strongest in the recession, although new job ads in Auckland have increased by 9% since June this year.
• Job ads have remained high in education and health industries, and there has also been a rise in industries such as retail, and hospitality and tourism in recent months.

Jobs Online has been made possible through our partnership with Seek, Trade Me Jobs and herald.co.nz who all supply vacancy data.

Read the Jobs Online November report and Background paper.