According to the latest Hays Quarterly Report, the job market in New Zealand and Australia is steady due to growing demand for highly skilled professionals with local experience.

The reports shows that for certain skilled roles, demand even outstrips supply.

“Despite weak dairy prices, the construction and service sectors, especially inbound tourism, are seeing strong activity, which is leading to demand for skilled professionals,” says Jason Walker, Managing Director of Hays in New Zealand.

Quantity Surveyors, Structural Engineers and Digital Strategists are three of the current skills in demand in New Zealand as vacancies increase in skilled occupations.

“Employers are getting on with the task at hand and hiring skilled professionals as and when required. In fact the shortage of certain skilled professionals with local experience means we need more highly skilled professionals to return home from their overseas working holidays,” Walker said.

In New Zealand, the skills in greatest demand include Accountancy & Finance, Architecture, Construction, Contact Centres; Energy; Engineering; Facilities Management;  Human Resources; Information Technology; Insurance; Legal Marketing, Office Support, property, Sales and Trades & Labour.

In Australia, early childhood teachers, residential property salespeople and IT security professionals are three skills in demand.

“Strong activity in the IT, residential construction and services sectors has helped the employment market show relative resilience within the context of a prevailing low growth economic environment,” Nick Deligiannis, Managing Director of Hays in Australia & New Zealand, said. “These sectors have fuelled vacancy activity, especially in the Eastern states, to counter-balance job losses in the mining and mining-related sectors.

“Residential construction is one key driver of vacancy activity at present, while Australia’s information technology (IT) sector is active too,” Deligiannis said.

In Australia, the skills in greatest demand include: IT, Construction, Property, Education and Healthcare.