Internet and newspaper job advertisements have picked up, with Auckland experiencing the strongest growth.
The ANZ Bank's monthly survey found seasonally adjusted job ads increased 0.8 percent to 36,951 in December compared with the previous month, snapping two months of declines.
On an annual basis, job ads rose 13 percent.
Both internet and newspaper advertisements rose, with Auckland experiencing the strongest growth.
But ANZ Bank senior economist Sharon Zollner said the level of advertising indicated the strongest employment growth has now passed.
"We're not saying it is doom and gloom at all, we're just saying that the economic cycle is maturing and that's starting to show through in the economic data - including job ads," she said.
Ms Zollner expected unemployment, which currently stands at 5.4 percent, would ease only modestly over the coming year, partly due to an increase in immigration swelling the ranks of job seekers.