The mid-year economic slowdown appears to be weighing on the job market with job advertisements falling for a second month.

Data from employment website Seek NZ showed job ads fell 3% in June from a month earlier, and 3% lower than a year ago.

Applications per job ad – recorded with a one-month lag – were down 2% monthly.

It comes as various economic datasets point to the country’s economic recovery stalling in the middle of the year.

Seek country manager Rob Clark said job ad levels remained broadly flat for the past year.

“While the volume remains below pre-Covid levels, there are pockets of growth, which should be cause for some optimism,” he said.

Job ad volumes were mixed across the regions, with Gisborne, Marlborough and Southland the only regions to see month-on-month growth in June.

In Auckland and Canterbury, volumes fell 2% in June, while Wellington fell 4%. Otago was flat, while Waikato fell 4%.

The only industry to see an increase in volumes was Information & Communication Technology, with more demand for ICT managers and networks & systems administrators.

“Despite a monthly dip in June, demand within government and defence has jumped 51% year-on-year, and we’re seeing a growing number of industries return to annual growth within the professional and consumer services sectors,” Clark said.

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