The construction pickup in Christchurch and large projects in Auckland have boosted companies' hiring plans.
The latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey shows 31% of companies plan to hire more workers in the three months to June.
The survey of 650 employers found while 8% plan to cut back hiring and 60% are making no changes.
Firms are reporting a net employment outlook of 21%, a rise of 3% from the last three months.
Manpower says positive economic reports and the high New Zealand dollar are contributing to the positive hiring sentiment.
Manpower Australia and New Zealand managing director Lincoln Crawly says the results reflect in part the flow-on effects from the Christchurch rebuild.
Hiring intentions are strongest in Christchurch and Auckland, and have picked up slightly in Wellington compared with the previous quarter.
The public administration and education sector jumped 23%, wholesale and retail trade rose 12%, manufacturing was up 7%, followed by finance, insurance and real estate, up 6%.
Hiring intentions in the mining and construction sector have dropped since the last quarter, due to expectations that the rebuild would begin sooner, and have also fallen in the services sector.