Seek reported its "in demand" roles last week included electricians, sales account managers and accountants. Photo: 123RF
It's been a difficult time for anyone looking for a job - but if you're looking for a "recession proof" option for the future, employment experts say there are a few roles to consider.
Unemployment has been steadily rising and many jobseekers have reported spending many months, or even longer, looking for work.
The latest data from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment showed there could be some relief coming - the number of job advertisements fell 7.6 percent in the year to the June quarter, compared to a drop of 21.7 percent the previous quarter.
The number of ads for roles in healthcare and primary industries increased.
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Recruiters say there are some other bright spots, and some sectors that continue to have employment demand even when the economy is weak.
Seek last week reported that its most "in demand" roles were sales account managers, for which there were 3533 ads, sales business development managers, with just over 2500, accountants, at just over 2300 and electricians, at just over 2100.
Nurses, administration officers, support workers, sales assistants and chefs were also in demand.
Seek senior economist Blair Chapman said demographic trends were likely to keep the pressure on to hire in some sectors.
"With an estimated 7.5 percent of Kiwis now over the age of 75, and around another 9 percent over the age of 65, support workers and nurses are likely to remain in-demand for some time as the demand for care from these older Kiwis grows."
He said improving tourist numbers were also a driver.
"Tourism continues to return to more typical levels in New Zealand, with a notable pickup in visitors from Australia in recent months. The growth in tourism is supporting demand for chefs and retail workers. Despite the overall weakness in the New Zealand economy, household consumption has continued to grow which is also supporting demand for chefs and retail workers."
Hayley Pickard, managing director of Fortitude Group, agreed healthcare and aged care roles were usually in demand, as well as technology and education.
She said workers in construction, engineering and manufacturing were often sought-after but they had been affected by the downturn.
Gareth Kiernan said looking at data back to 2009 showed some of the more resilient employment areas, even through periods where the economy struggled.
He said utilities employment had been a standout.
"In general, households and businesses are still going to need reliable electricity, gas, water, and telecommunications services. Although there might be a little room for job cuts to some peripheral roles in these organisations, ensuring the maintenance and growth of these networks is work that essentially continues whether the economy is growing or not."
Mining also appeared near the top of the data, which Kiernan said was a bit of a surprise.
"The key question for this industry probably relates to what is driving the broader economic weakness and how directly it affects mining.
"If demand for gold or coal remains strong in destination markets, then these operations are likely to continue operating with little change, particularly when one considers that most mining operations are working on significant previous capital investments, so once those upfront costs have been paid, the marginal cost of maintaining volumes is relatively low. And, of course, gold prices are often strong during periods of economic uncertainty."
He said his data agreed with Pickard and Seek that healthcare and social assistance were areas that continued to offer employment even in downturns.
"Health care is an area where demand is mostly not affected by economic conditions, particularly in terms of major health events, where the cost is covered by the taxpayer, as opposed to GP or dental bills, where people might cut back because of reduced discretionary spending. Demand for social assistance is likely to be greater in a downturn than when economic times are good."
Similarly, he said education roles were not as affected by the economic cycle.
"Additionally, when the labour market is weakening, we typically see more young people staying in education or training for longer, which can lead to increased demand for tertiary education services as well."
Parts of agriculture and food-related manufacturing also could hold up against the trends if the economic weakness was mostly domestically focused and the export sector was in good health.
Central government roles could also withstand a downturn.
"Current conditions are a bit more unusual given the spending and job cutbacks but, even then, there is probably less sustained acute pressure than in many parts of the private sector."
Pickard said she had noticed more confidence building among people thinking about hiring.
"I am slowly noticing clients having an optimistic outlook for 2026… many want to keep the doors open and lights on to the end of 2025 and then look at 2026 with fresh eyes and confidence."
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