The Canterbury rebuild continues to underpin growth in the job market, with advertised vacancies in the third quarter up 12.3 per cent on the same period a year ago, according to Trade Me.
Head of jobs Pete Ashby said demand for construction project managers and supervisors grew 88 per cent and 356 per cent respectively.
"We've seen the market rebound to double digit growth. The Canterbury rebuilding efforts continue to underpin this growth, but most segments appear in good heart.
"The broader Canterbury economy is going gangbusters. It appears that population growth and rising house prices are the driving factors behind sharply increased listings in Ashburton and Timaru."
Conversely, Auckland was providing some cause for concern with only a 2.7 per cent increase in listed vacancies on the same quarter last year.
"However this time last year the country was in the midst of a RWC-inspired tourism and hospitality boom, so this has certainly weighed on employment numbers in this market," Mr Ashby said.
The top three sectors in terms of growth compared to a year ago were construction and architecture (up 94 per cent), healthcare (49.9 per cent) and agriculture, fisheries and forestry (36.7 per cent).
At the other end of the spectrum, listings in human resources and recruitment dropped 24 per cent.
Mr Ashby predicted the rise of the NZ dollar could hamper the export sector in the coming months, but rising house prices across the country, along with employment, could boost consumer confidence.
Highest average pay rates by region
Wellington City: $75,290
Auckland City: $72,901
Upper Hutt: $62,430
Whangarei: $62,044
Timaru: $60,824
Lowest paid
Mackenzie: $40,039
Waitaki: $43,713
Selwyn: $45,479
Gore: $46,370
Kapiti Coast: $46,719
