Jobs In New Zealand Are Coming Back And These Industries Are Leading The Growth

After three sluggish years, jobs in New Zealand are on the rebound with hiring up across construction, agriculture, hospitality and admin.

New data from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) shows that online job vacancies have jumped 3.5 per cent in the last few months of 2025. It’s the first annual lift since 2022, and while not technically a hiring stampede, it’s a good sign after years of decline.

While Auckland remains the home to around a third of all jobs in the country, regions like Canterbury, Otago and the Bay of Plenty are starting to wake up.

Here are the industries that are showing the most growth, and what jobs are most in demand. 

Construction Back on New Zealand Green List Jobs

MBIE numbers revealed job openings for construction roles grew by about 13 per cent year-on-year, marking it as the leading sector in job growth nationally. 

Buoyed by ongoing infrastructure upgrades, a pipeline of housing projects, and the rebuild push across Canterbury and Hawke’s Bay, the appetite is so strong that builders, engineers and project managers are back on the Green List, the government’s shortcut for roles most needed to be filled throughout the country. 

Employers are once again sponsoring skilled migrants from the Philippines, India and South Africa to fill site management, electrical and quantity-surveying roles that locals can’t cover fast enough.

Construction also saw filled jobs grow nearly 10 per cent year-on-year, another bright indicator of the sector’s important role in driving employment growth.

Accredited Employer List Finds Pathways For Pickers

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, NZ’s iconic export sectors, are also showing promising signs of recovery beyond 2025 with notable growth in job postings. After a few lean years marked by weather disruptions and worker shortages, employers are finally hiring again.

Much of that resurgence owes to steady dairy and horticulture demand and a re-opening of seasonal visa channels which now includes two brand new Seasonal Visas. The Accredited Employer scheme has also expanded pathways for pickers, machinery operators and vets, all classified as Green List jobs.

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing together employ over 150,000 people in New Zealand, making up roughly 5.6 per cent of total employment nationwide. Agribusiness alone employs more than 219,000 people, contributing mightily to national GDP. 

Supporting this, our food and fibre exports are on track to break $60 billion this year, proving the economic power of these industries. Dairy exports have surged by 16 per cent, horticulture by 19 per cent, and forestry exports by 9 per cent. 

Hospitality Rebounds As The Cities Fill Up Again

The country’s hospitality industry is getting back on its feet, too, with the report showing that job openings in accommodation and food services rose strongly in the last few months of 2025, the first overall upswing since 2022.

Tourism’s revival is the main driver with international arrivals from Australia, China and the United States fuelling a steady demand for chefs, servers and hotel staff throughout the year. 

The report also had good news for business owners with working holiday visa holders making a solid comeback. By March 2025, there were about 32,490 working holidaymakers in New Zealand, up 5 per cent from last year, showing the sector is recovering from pandemic lows.

Meanwhile, administrative and support services also posted one of the largest year-on-year lifts. These roles span office administration, HR, cleaning, logistics and customer service. Growth here reflects both public- and private-sector demand as Health NZ’s workforce reforms have created new back-office and supply-chain positions, while hybrid work has fuelled the hunt for tech-literate coordinators who can keep teams functioning across time zones.

Technology And Trades Jobs Go Regional 

MBIE’s data also show a marked rise in roles for managers and trades workers, a combination that signals mid-career confidence. Tech, long the darling of the job market in the country, continues to lead growth alongside construction, though the focus has shifted from speculative startups to infrastructure and digital transformation roles.

One of the quieter revelations in MBIE’s report is the regional reshuffle. Six of ten regions saw job ad growth over the year, led by Canterbury and Otago/Southland.

Businesses outside the main centres are snapping up skilled staff priced out of Auckland, while improved digital connectivity and the rise of remote-ready roles make regional living in arguably the most beautiful country on Earth genuinely viable.