The number of people applying for jobs continues to rise while the number of listings drops, according to employment website Seek.
According to the site's New Zealand Employment Report, the number of job ads declined 3% last month and are now 15% lower than in February 2019.
While the number of ads declined, the number of people applying per job ad climbed 3% between December 2023 and January 2024.
The industries with the biggest declines were construction and industrial, with manufacturing, transport, and logistics falling 9% and construction falling 12%.
"Certainly, the recent confirmation that we are in a recession will impact the hiring outlook for many employers," SEEK country manager Rob Clark said.
"For candidates who are already competing heavily for the roles available, this may lead to an even tougher market in the months to come."
However, some industries saw job ads rise, including healthcare, which rose 6% in February from January.
"It's important to note that some industries are still hiring, with rising job ads in healthcare and medical, sales and marketing, and communications," Clark said.
"History shows us that certain industries are more recession-proof than others, such as Healthcare & Medical and Education & Training, so we would expect there to be some areas of resilience in the coming months."
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