Every region in the country reached a new record advertised average salary last quarter, with many provinces breaking the $70,000 mark for the first time, Trade Me says.

In the third quarter of 2023, July to September, the regions with the largest annual advertised salary growth were Wellington (to $76,041), Southland ($70,106), Otago ($70,977), Canterbury ($70,404) and Marlborough ($70,039), all with average pay rise between 9 per cent and 10 per cent on the same time last year.

Trade Me Jobs sales director Matt Tolich says it was no longer Auckland and Wellington that held the title as the $70,000 regions.

“Several regions broke the $70,000 mark for the first time last quarter, including Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Gisborne, Marlborough, Otago, Southland and Taranaki,” he says.

The national average advertised salary also rose 8 per cent year-on-year - nearly $5500 more than the same time last year to reach $71,820. This increase was slightly higher than the latest inflation figures from Stats NZ at 6 per cent.

“This will be music to the ears of many Kiwis.

“For the past 12 months we have seen the national average salary break record after record as employers are forced to put more money on the table to help Kiwis combat the rising cost of living.”

The roles that had seen the largest annual percentage increase in salary were those in telecommunications, which had a 17 per cent annual uplift in average wage to $85,728, and roofers, also with a 17 per cent jump, to $81,516.

Clive Fernandes, founder of KiwiSaver advice business National Capital, says the average person actively contributing to KiwiSaver needs to save 2 per cent more of their gross salary. Video: Rob Stock/Stuff.

In third place were psychologists and counsellors who had an 18 per cent bump in average pay to $84,797, while the average salary for estimators in construction and roading jumped 19 per cent to $114,872.

Trade Me monitored 25 industries and 15 reached a record average salary record last quarter.

Tolich says the largest increases by sector were seen in healthcare, up 10 per cent, trades and services, up 9 per cent, manufacturing and operations, up 9 per cent, education, up 8 per cent, and hospitality and tourism, up 8 per cent.

Job applications also surged on Trade Me. In the past six months there had been an 88 per cent spike in total job applications when compared with the same time last year.

It was the most applications that the site had seen since 2018.

The most applied-for roles in September caregivers, followed by drivers and couriers, farmers, storepeople and housekeepers.

Job listings were down 7.9 per cent in the third quarter of 2023 when compared to the previous quarter.

“Our customers have told us that they’re waiting until they know who will be running the country for the next three years before they make that next hire.

“This behaviour isn’t surprising and, with our data going right back to 2009, is typical with almost every general election as businesses wait to see how the cards fall.”

Tolich says with job listings down and applications up, it was a great time to be hiring.

“No matter what the outcome of the general election is, we expect job listings to bounce back in November and into the New Year.”

- Brianna Mcilraith/Stuff.