Kiwi employers already searching for Christmas casual jobs

The importance of Christmas jobs is shown by New Zealand and Australian businesses beginning advertising in 2018 as early as July.
The importance of Christmas jobs is shown by New Zealand and Australian businesses beginning advertising in 2018 as early as July.

Attention job seekers: The Christmas hiring season is about to begin as New Zealand and Australian businesses gear up for the biggest shopping season of the year.

For those hunting for Christmas work, the time is now to polish resumes and apply for the thousands of opportunities. It may only be July but businesses are already thinking about Christmas.

Indeed data from 2018 shows that Christmas jobs began to appear in late July, exploding in August, before peaking towards the end of September. By November though, most jobs are filled and opportunities are limited. Businesses are also advertising earlier than they did in the past. In 2018 there were a similar number of Christmas jobs as the year before but they appeared online weeks earlier.

The shift towards earlier hiring is present across every state. It’s not only employers who are more active in the gear up to the Christmas season. Job hunters also began searching earlier than in previous years, perhaps hoping to get a jump on their peers.

Callam Pickering, APAC economist for Indeed (indeed.com), said that job hunters taking on Christmas jobs can benefit the local economy as well as their back pockets.

“For many job hunters, part-time and casual work over Christmas is a way to make pocket money while on holiday from school or university or even as a second revenue stream to boost household income,” said Pickering.

“These jobs, concentrated in, but not exclusive to, retail and hospitality, provide crucial work experience and training. Those who perform well just may find themselves employed on a more permanent basis.

“With wage growth remaining quite low, these Christmas roles also arrive at an opportune time for workers seeking a second job.”

The importance of Christmas jobs is shown by New Zealand and Australian businesses beginning advertising in 2018 as early as July. Job hunters who believe they can wait until November or December to find a Christmas job should think again. The number of job opportunities typically fall 30 – 50 per cent in November as businesses finalise their Christmas rosters.

Despite job ad posts typically peaking in September or October, job searches have in recent years peaked a few weeks later in late October and early November.

That said, job searches are beginning earlier year-on-year, with August search activity in 2018 increasing 16 per cent from the previous year, September searches increasing by 10 per cent and October searches increasing 5 per cent.

Traditionally, most of the Christmas openings are in the retail sector, however many sectors benefit from higher retail spending. As they scoop up toys and clothes, holiday shoppers also create jobs in hospitality and the service industry.

Clothing and jewellery feature heavily among businesses with the highest number of job openings. There are also opportunities in bedding and manchester.