A year on from COVID-19, fewer Kiwis are looking for a job change, with more intending to stay put for longer, Trade Me says.
That's despite online job listings being 40 percent higher than May 2019, making it a perfect time to be looking for a change.
A Trade Me survey conducted in May of 1414 Kiwis on its database shows just 17 percent are looking to move jobs over the next 12 months - down from 27 percent in May 2020.
And more intend to stick at their current job for longer, with 22 percent expecting to be in their current job for the next four or more years - significantly higher than 14 percent in May last year.
Confirming a surge of new jobs advertised online, Trade Me Jobs sales director Matt Tolich said compared to pre-COVID-19 levels (May 2019), Trade Me job listings were up 40 percent.
But one in five survey respondents said they were just looking to see what's out there, indicating there weren't enough people applying.
"The power is with the candidate like never before: it's the perfect time to go out there and apply for a new job [and] ask for exactly what you want," Tolich said.
He said many of Trade Me's job listings were re-posted, with closed borders an added challenge for businesses looking for suitable candidates.
"Businesses are desperate to find people and they're having to repost to try and find them," Tolich said.
Asked to rank what's 'very important' when looking for a new role, the highest number of survey respondents said work-life balance (61 percent). Security and stability came in second, with 59 percent ranking it as very important (a 1 percent increase from May 2020).
Company fit, culture and values and the actual work people were doing all cracked the top five.
"On the other hand, how others viewed their new jobs was least important, with over 33 percent of respondents saying this was not important," Tolich said.
He said remuneration (money) "still reflects pretty high" - but while it used to be number one, it's become less important, particularly as employers provide other incentives to retain staff.
"Employers are offering a lot more to try and retain key staff: more flexibility, wellness, training and development... I think people are comfortable in their roles at the moment," Tolich added.
A May report from employment website SEEK shows for the third month in a row, May had the highest number of jobs ever advertised. Compared to the same time last year, job ads were up 193 percent, and up 5 percent month-on-month.
A year on from COVID-19, SEEK New Zealand general manager Janet Faulding said job ad numbers were at a record-high - but the number of applications per job fell 11 percent month-on-month.
“There are several factors behind this decline, including the need for job stability... employed Kiwis are prioritising job security and remain uncertain about moving to a new job at this time," Faulding said.
