BNZ SEEK Employment Report: Job Ads Rebound As Lockdown Lifts

The latest BNZ/SEEK employment report notes that "after being held back by the renewed lockdown in August, job ads rebounded a solid 14.7% in September, as restrictions eased. This left advertising levels down 21.7% on September 2019. This was a lesser fall than the 31.8% annual drop posted in August. The regional breakdown highlighted the relative impacts of the staggered COVID-19 restriction levels. With Auckland moving down to a Level "2.5" near the very end of August – having been on Level 3 for 18 days – its activity for September was given a shot in the arm. Auckland's job ads jumped a seasonally adjusted 19.7%, after dropping 8.3% in August. That said, most everywhere else also enjoyed a reasonable lift in advertising in September. This was aided by the country, (except Auckland) moving down to Level 1 on 21 September from Level 2, but also reflected underlying gains, judging by the trends."