NZ 2023 election increases filled jobs for October

Filled jobs rose by 13,046 when seasonally adjusted in October 2023 compared to September 2023, according to figures released by Stats NZ today.

The increase in filled jobs was driven by the public administration and safety industry, which includes public administration, defence, public order, regulatory, and safety services.

“The election was the biggest driver for the increase of filled jobs in the public administration industry. The Electoral Commission employs around 20,000 people over the election period. That’s according to Work at the 2023 General Election on the Electoral Commission’s website,” says business employment insights manager Sue Chapman.

Stats NZ calculates filled jobs by averaging weekly jobs paid throughout the month, based on tax data.

Annually, public administration and safety had the largest increase in filled jobs, up 23,442 jobs from October 2022 to October 2023. Health care and social assistance had the second-largest industry rise, up 13,683 jobs over the year to October 2023.

Accommodation and food services followed, up 7,839 jobs. Agriculture, forestry, and fishing decreased by 2,475 jobs for the period between October 2022 and October 2023.

The age groups 25 and older all increased in numbers for filled jobs from October 2022 to October 2023. The largest increase was in the 35–39-years age group, up 22,900 jobs (9.2 percent).

The next largest increase was for the 30–34-years age group, up 19,407 filled jobs (7.0 percent). These two age groups accounted for 56 percent of the national rise of 75,544 filled jobs over the year to October 2023.

All regions had increases in filled jobs for October 2023, compared with October 2022. Auckland recorded the largest rise of 35,302 jobs (4.5 percent), followed by Canterbury, up 9,081 jobs (2.9 percent), and Waikato, up 6,065 jobs (2.7 percent).

Actual gross earnings on an accrual basis for the October 2023 month were $15.5 billion, compared with $14.3 billion for the October 2022 month.