Not all months are created equal when it comes to the job market — May stands out as the peak month for job listings, according to a recent report by employment website Seek.
The NZ Seasonality Report found that, on average, the total number of job ads on Seek peaks in May each year going as far back as 2016 – excluding the Covid-affected years between 2020 and 2022.
The spike in job listings during May could be attributed to a couple of factors, the report said.
Firstly, many businesses reassessed their staffing needs in the new financial year. May also followed the typical annual performance review cycle and, for many staff, that meant time to look elsewhere for employment.
The departure of staff created vacancies, prompting employers to increase job listings.
“Although applications also typically increase in March and May, they don’t increase as much as job ads, so job seekers looking during these months are going to face less competition with fewer other applicants and more roles available, resulting in applications per ad being generally lower,” the report found.
This made May an ideal time for job hunters, as there were a higher volume of listings and lower application rates.
The peak in job listings tended to coincide with the peak of job applications, with the report also finding this number also tended to peak each May, but only a little above the levels seen in January, July and August.
“Month-to-month fluctuations in the total number of applications broadly follows the number of ads on site, so that there are less applications than average in April and far less in December than at other times of the year.”
For those actively on the hunt for new employment, the report suggested that the months between February and May were the most promising, with a higher chance of success compared to the quieter months of November and December.
While the overall peak in May applied to many sectors, some industries followed their own seasonal patterns.
Job ads for hospitality and tourism vacancies tended to rise in January, stay elevated through April, then drop before increasing again in August, ahead of the summer tourist season.
In some years, hospitality and tourism job listings have peaked in October.
