Student Job Search says the number of students trying to find work is heartbreaking.
In January, it had 4600 jobs listed and a whopping 38,000 applications for positions.
The nature of the work has also changed drastically, with very few permanent positions on offer.
University students in Auckland told RNZ the market is tough.
“I haven’t been able to get any jobs for two years now. Even your normal part-time ones like fast food, local cafes, [and] things in the mall,” one student said.
“It’s really tough. I have been applying since I was a young teenager and I still have not got a job. It’s really hard. You have to know someone,” another said.
“[I have applied for] Probably like 150… I was trying to find jobs for weeks and weeks and weeks, and then I finally got one, but it was only casual and I was wanting part-time,” a third said.
Student Job Search chief executive Louise Saviker told Checkpoint the market has completely changed.
“It is heartbreaking, but also so incredible the level of determination and resilience this group is showing. The amount of applications they are submitting and the fact they are just never giving up is just extraordinary,” she said.
“They are an incredible group, they’re ready and available to work and really super keen to do so. So, for employers, we’d really ask that they would consider listing work and thinking about students and hiring a student because they really are highly educated, innovative and ready to go.”
Saviker said while job listings are back at pre-Covid levels, the jobs available are far less secure. Instead of having one part-time role, students are often juggling multiple roles, such as casual employment.
Another factor Saviker said was that some graduates can’t secure full-time permanent work, and so they are holding on to their part-time or “student-like” roles, putting increased pressure on student work. Saviker says some students are also studying further because they can’t get full-time work.
Saviker said once the market recovers, she expects student employment to be in a better position.
“The employment market is often the last to recover in an economy. We are seeing this, and we saw this after the GFC as well, and students tend to fare better or worse. So, the troughs tend to be bigger for the students, or worse for the students.”
It comes after the latest figures, from Stats NZ, have revealed unemployment has risen to its highest level in more than a decade – 5.4 percent – with more people chasing work than jobs being created.
A total of 165,000 people are now unemployed – that’s a rise of 4000 on the previous quarter and 10,000 on a year ago.
