More than 4000 new jobs were added to New Zealand's total between March and April, but there's a warning that momentum might not last.
Stats NZ data showed filled job numbers rose 0.2%, or 4333 when seasonally adjusted. It was the second consecutive month that filled jobs had risen.
The data counts the total number of paid and filled jobs, both full-time and part-time, across New Zealand businesses. One individual may have more than one job.
Compared to a year before, job numbers were up 0.5%, the fastest rate of annual increase in two years.
The largest increases were in: healthcare, up 5527; transport, up 2386; and agriculture, up 2248. Manufacturing had the biggest fall, down 3238.
Employment in the primary sector rose by 411 jobs, or 0.4%, in April. Goods-producing sector jobs increased 0.1%, or 288. The service sector added 3650 jobs.
The bulk of job increases were in the South Island, while employment of young people continued to decline. The number of jobs filled by people aged 30 or under fell 1.5% in April compared to the same time a year earlier - the 33rd consecutive fall.
Infometrics principal consultant Rob Heyes said it looked like there was momentum building in the labour market before conflict broke out in the Middle East.
"The job gains we are seeing in March and April are probably based largely on hiring decisions made in January and February, perhaps even late last year," Heyes said.
"We don't like to forecast monthly figures because they do bobble around quite a lot, but I'll be very surprised if we continue to see job gains two or three months from now."
His colleague, principal economist Nick Brunsdon, said job turnover was down.
"The quarterly job turnover rate is at its lowest level [recorded in the data], with 12.8% of workers changing job each quarter, on average over the year to March 2025. Workers are generally more likely to stick with their job when the labour market is weak, and we see this in the worker turnover rates, with previous low points in 2009 - after the global financial crisis - and in early 2021 - from the initial hit of the Covid-19 pandemic."
He said the peak of turnover was 15.5% in the year to June 2023.
"In a stronger labour market, there are more jobs being advertised and fewer applicants applying, so workers have a higher chance of being successful. The effort of applying and interviewing is worth the reward of a potential pay increase. MBIE's Job Ad index shows that the number of job adverts nationally fell 54% between 2023 and 2025, and Seek data shows that the number of applicants rose by 2.5 times. Clearly, if you need a job then you'll still apply for jobs, but if you've already got a job and it's going okay, you might think twice about all the hassle when the labour market is weak.
"Having said all that, the changes in worker turnover rate aren't that dramatic between a strong and weak labour market, which goes to show that the majority of people stick with the same job regardless, on a quarterly basis at least."
Young people were more likely to change jobs. They had a turnover rate of about 25% even last year.
Seek said intent to apply for new jobs had stayed steady over recent quarters, at about 35% of those responding to its surveys.
