Job advertisements are up month on month, but down more than a third compared to the same time last year.
Photo: 123RF
The BNZ-SEEK employment report said the number of ads rose 46.9 percent in June, after coming off a 71.7 percent boost in May.
However, listings are down 38.9 percent on the same month last year.
BNZ senior economist Doug Steel said although the numbers were positive, the labour market was far from being back to normal.
"I think the [labour market] can be described as weak but recovering.
"Even though we are seeing the strong increases month to month as we come out of lockdown, we have to bear in mind that this is hugely supported by government policy including the massive wage subsidy scheme which is due to end on the 1st of September."
Steel said the true test would be when the government's schemes to support businesses and employees began to roll off.
The latest numbers show the country's more rural regions such as Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Otago, Taranaki and Gisborne, had more job listings then other parts of New Zealand.
Steel said the increase reflected good commodity prices which were resilient to the pressures of Covid-19.
Jobs listings across all industry sectors saw a strong rise last month, regaining ground lost when listings fell of a cliff while the country was in lockdown.
Rural job listings have proven to be among the most resilient industries throughout the pandemic.
"It's one of the very few industries that shows job ads back to pre-Covid-19 levels, so [it's] another reflection of the rural areas being a little bit more resilient compared than perhaps some of the metropolitan counterparts."
The industries which had the strongest lift in advertising over the past month were insurance and supperannuation, advertising, arts and media, and sport and recreation.