Fred News – November

November news at Fred

November has always been a busy time in recruitment.  We are now well into the silly season, working hard to meet client deadlines and get 2025 wrapped up so we can all take a much needed break with our families and friends.

We are always surprised at the activity this time of year – talent will ask us if there is any point in job hunting in November, while clients in full recruitment mode are absolutely motivated to get contracts out so the new year starts with gaps in teams filled, ready to go.

I think it’s fair to say we’ve found recruitment trends a perplexing mixed bag currently.  There is undeniably positive growth.  What we are finding though, is that for now, the flurry is only for some.  Not industry specific, just a complete mixed bag.  We have same-industry clients that report very low activity, and others that report the complete opposite. Notably this month, freight forwarding, logistics and distribution, sectors in the construction space, all reporting significantly different market positioning.

The businesses who chose to flex and meet the new challenges of the market over the past two years, continuing to forge ahead, hire, and spend resources on market presence and technology, tend to now be the ones who are reaping market share.  It’s a poignant time to review what has set same-industry organisations apart from each other.  There will certainly be learnings in there.

• Seek reports job ad volumes have increased 1% MoM for the last four months, and are up 7% YoY – interesting statistic, given the sense that the market remains fairly volatile for the job hunter. It does indicate confidence employers have to increase their teams.
• 50% of the roles placed this month at Fred were from outside the Auckland region, indicating that cities Christchurch, Tauranga and Hamilton have some good pulling power and lifestyle shifts are being made, with markets looking optimistic.
• The rise of the part time role.  Fred has had an unprecedented influx of requests for part time staffing resource, both temp and permanent. What does this mean?  For some, it’s smart moves, to not overburden overheads, but still find the solution, for others it is an opportunity to job-share a role, splitting responsibilities between talent.  Whatever the reason, it is good to see flexible hiring solutions.
• Acquisitions.  This is a time of opportunity and we are seeing clients taking advantage.  Freight forwarding, accounting, construction and manufacturing taking advantage of the right time to grow market share.
• FredMed continues to build momentum towards the end of the year with agency engagement most prevalent in Christchurch and Wellington.  Candidate demand in healthcare and medical has surged in November v’s October, with a MoM increase of 69% on Seek advertising. We view this surge at the very least, as a favourable rise across the sector.

We are already planning for growth in 2026, continuing to sharpen our processes and grow our team to provide the best support we can to our valuable clients and job seekers.  This month we welcomed on board recruitment-operations guru Amber Wilson to work with the directors on refining systems and processes, and Tyla Walker, our newest, impressive emerging consultant to the team.  True to what we know works best for our clients, we love when it comes together with the right people and can’t wait to see what 2026 brings.

One more month to go, and we can all close the laptops and switch on that awful Christmas music (jokes, we love it).  For any last minute support from the team at Fred, or an interest to discuss plans for the new year, please don’t hesitate to reach out to any one of us.