The jobs that had the fastest salary growth in the past year
Three of the top five fastest-growing salaried roles in the past year were for IT jobs.
The role of branch manager had the highest average salary rise of 15.30%.
The national average advertised salary only rose 2.6% year on year in February.
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Jobs in IT dominated fastest-growing advertised salaries in the past 12 months but it was an unlikely role that took top spot, new data from Seek shows.
The role of branch manager within the retail and consumer industry had an average salary rise of 15.30% in the three months from February to April compared with the same period last year.
The average salary for a branch manager is now $83,944, Seek said.
Advertised salaries for security officers on average rose 12.80% to $55,965.
Three of the top five fastest-growing salaried roles were for jobs in IT.
A systems administrator saw on average a 12% rise in advertised salary to $96,755.
Data engineers’ salaries rose 11.60% to $131,952, while roles for data analysts increased 11.10% to $98,265.
“Businesses are increasingly building their digital capacity and preparing for the AI revolution, which requires robust IT infrastructure, resulting in salary growth for those with the skills to support the ongoing digital transformation,” said Seek senior economist Blair Chapman.
“With these skills in demand across several countries, New Zealand businesses are increasingly competing to keep and attract these workers, supporting robust advertised salary growth.”
Average salaries for project engineers ($120,688) and therapists ($90,153) both increased 10.60%.
“With numerous infrastructure projects ongoing across New Zealand, project engineer roles for people with the skills to contribute to these projects have had relatively quick average advertised salary growth over the past 12 months,” Chapman said.
Also making the top 10 fastest-growing advertised salaries were roles for a technical lead in IT, which rose 10.30% to $155,775.
Meanwhile, the national average advertised salary only rose 2.6% year on year in February, according to the latest Seek Advertised Salary Index.
“Annual average advertised salary growth continues to slow but remains above inflation,” Seek country manager Rob Clark said of the data.
“Slower advertised salary growth in some of the largest industries is dragging down the national average, with some smaller industries like science and technology growing much faster.”
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Charities turning away high numbers of volunteer applications
Charities are turning away people wanting to volunteer amidst a flood of interest they say is linked to the high rate of unemployment.
It comes as some businesses receive thousands of applications for paid roles and people look for experience anywhere they can.
The advocacy organisation Volunteering NZ has been tracking the trend. Spokesperson Margaret McLachlan said there has been a considerable rise in applications for volunteer roles across a range of charities.
Many application forms asks people to divulge if they are job hunters.
"Over the last year or so, they are seeing more people coming in who are saying they are in that category. They are looking for work but doing volunteering while that process is taking place."
"As unemployment increases and the cost of living, times are tougher for everybody."
At the same time, she said community organisations supporting social services were busier and needed more helpers.
McLachlan said depending on the organisation, they might want to do a police check, a reference check and an interview.
"In some cases it can be a process to go through and not always, and that can take some time.
"It's actually the same barriers that a person might find in finding a job, can also apply to volunteering. It's not always a easy option."
SPCA had 120 op shops and animal rescue centres across the country in which volunteers worked.
General manager of retail Cathy Crichton said they received about 1300 extra applications for volunteer roles, a 32 percent increase, from June to November 2025, compared to 2024.
"There's definitely a nudge forward which is very exciting and we're very grateful."
But it meant they were not accepting any more volunteers in some areas.
"Because the applications are up it's a unique scenario. But at this point in time, in smaller locations, we've actually got a hold in 19 locations in New Zealand where we are at capacity - and that's very rare and it's a very new trend."
Crichton said anyone seeking volunteer work should think creatively about what skills they can offer - it could be in administration or marketing.
"We'd love to welcome as many people as we could because the more hands on deck the more we can do and the more we can contribute to the community."
She said people were self-motivated to apply for volunteer work.
The unemployment rate rose to 5.3 percent in the September quarter, meaning 160,000 people were jobless. The next quarterly figures are out in February.
"There's a willingness to give back and contribute to the community. Unemployment being high really does encourage people to engage with the workforce and get experience," Crichton said.
"It really is about staying connected with the community and meeting others."
She said they had also seen an increase in young people seeking volunteer work experience.
"It's a great opportunity to get work experience and a reference and there's an appeal there as an employer...I really do think it adds value to a CV."
Stats NZ data showed over half of New Zealanders, 53 percent, volunteered during March 2025 and of those, 27.6 percent volunteered through an organisation and 40.8 percent volunteered directly for another person.
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