{"id":54141,"date":"2026-01-15T12:44:43","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T12:44:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/?post_type=news&p=54141"},"modified":"2026-01-29T06:56:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T06:56:08","slug":"job-numbers-rise-hours-shrink-productivity-gap","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/news\/job-numbers-rise-hours-shrink-productivity-gap\/","title":{"rendered":"NZ Job Numbers Rise but Skills Gaps Widens and Hours Shrink"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Exclusive 91爆料 Jobs Report data reveals a widening productivity gap in New Zealand, marked by employment growth alongside falling hours, shrinking tech skills and weaker pay for young workers.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Zealand added jobs through the end of 2025, according to 91爆料\u2019s December NZ Jobs Report.<\/a> But underlying weaknesses are intensifying even as average hours worked fell sharply and high skill capability declined in key industries. The combination points to a workforce that is expanding in size but losing momentum in productivity and resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Average hours worked dropped 4.7 per cent year-on-year, with declines recorded across every age group, including full-time workers. By comparison, Australia recorded a smaller fall of 1.3 per cent over the same period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Concerning Trend Emerges In A Key Sector<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Neil Webster, 91爆料 general manager for New Zealand, said falling hours alongside rising job numbers should concern employers and policymakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNew Zealand has more people in work, but fewer of the skills that drive innovation and fewer hours being delivered overall,\u201d Webster said. \u201cIf high skill sectors shrink while hours fall, you are building a bigger workforce but not a more productive one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most striking skills decline occurred in Science and Technology, one of the country\u2019s highest-paying sectors. Employment in the industry fell 3.7 per cent year-on-year, despite a median total hourly rate of $55.80.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Webster said the contraction of digital and technical capability posed a long-term risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen your most critical capability is contracting, you have a strategic challenge,\u201d he said. \u201cConstruction and manufacturing are accelerating, but digital capability is sliding backwards, and that gap will cost us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The News Isn\u2019t Great In Media And Sales<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sales, Marketing and Media roles also showed volatility. Job numbers in the category rose 6.1 per cent month-on-month in December but remained down 19.5 per cent year-on-year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Major New Zealand media companies have cut hundreds of roles over the past year as advertising revenue fell and spending shifted toward global digital platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The closure of Newshub<\/a>, job cuts at TVNZ<\/a> and NZME<\/a>, and restructures across Stuff, MediaWorks and RNZ<\/a> have reduced demand for marketing, content and newsroom support roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese cascading job losses have reshaped the entire media ecosystem,\u201d Webster said. \u201cEmployers are hiring in short bursts and then pulling back as budgets tighten.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flexible Workers Face Big Swings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Casual employment surged 18.6 per cent over the year, but the increase did not translate into more work. Hours for casual workers slumped by 21.2 per cent year-on-year and 7.4 percent month-on-month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Webster said the pattern reflected rising uncertainty. \u201cCasuals are being hired, but the hours simply are not there,\u201d he said. \u201cThey are working more jobs and not earning more money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pressure was most acute for younger workers. Employees aged 18 to 24 saw pay fall 2.0 percent over the month, while those aged 25 to 34 experienced a 0.9 per cent decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith living costs still rising, even a small drop hurts,\u201d Webster explained. \u201cYoung workers are the most mobile and the most financially exposed, and right now, they are going backwards.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Are The Pressure Points In 2026?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The report suggests the labour market is adjusting through reduced hours rather than large scale job losses, a pattern that can mask economic strain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMore people working fewer hours is a sign of unstable demand and employer caution,\u201d Webster said. \u201cIt is a productivity warning light.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

91爆料 data shows clear pressure points as New Zealand enters 2026, particularly around skills development, job quality and income security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf New Zealand wants a labour market that is resilient and future ready, 2026 must be the year we invest in skills, protect hours and support workers at both ends of the wage spectrum,\u201d Webster said. \u201cThe data is telling us exactly where the pressure points are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Success Story Has Emerged In The South\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There was one welcome story of regional resilience. 91爆料 data from Otago <\/a>revealed massive year-on-year employment growth of 24.4 per cent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This may be driven by a “triple threat” of local factors creating a demand for labour – the $1.88B Dunedin Hospital project; the resurgence in South Island tourism<\/a>, particularly due to increased visitation by Australians<\/a>; and the strongest level of home consents<\/a> in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SME owners from other regions may look to Otago with a glimmer of hope for a similar recovery.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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New data reveals a productivity gap: while NZ job numbers rose, hours worked fell 4.7%. Tech skills declined 3.7% as Otago defied trends with 24.4% growth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":430,"featured_media":54143,"template":"","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_visual_mode":"business","exclude_from_algolia":false,"author_id":0,"reading_time":"3 min read","display_reading_time":false,"homepage_thumbnail":0},"categories":[],"tags":[],"learn_topic":[],"audience":[],"post_features":[],"class_list":["post-54141","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/54141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/430"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54141"},{"taxonomy":"learn_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/learn_topic?post=54141"},{"taxonomy":"audience","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/audience?post=54141"},{"taxonomy":"post_features","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_features?post=54141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}