Wellington

NZ

Market Overview

Key insights:

  1. Shift toward fixed-term and permanent hiring – Career contractors are increasingly pivoting into fixed-term or permanent roles, with businesses blending these with contractors to build project teams.
  1. Public sector still in reset mode – Ongoing restructures have slowed hiring, but pockets of growth are emerging, and pre-election policy delivery could boost activity in early 2026.
  1. Candidate confidence poised to return – As stability improves, more professionals may be ready to move from secure roles, creating both opportunity and potential attrition risks for employers.

These regional insights are updated quarterly, if you need help navigating the hiring landscape over the next three months please reach out to our team.

The Wellington market has seen a noticeable spike in activity over the past few months. We are seeing clients wanting to partner closely with us to help with their resourcing requirements and they are looking at different ways of building their project teams. Whilst the demand for contractors has increased from this time last year we are seeing a focus on fixed term and permanent requirements supplemented with contractors. Candidates that have been career contractors are now pivoting into fixed term and permanent roles dependent on the work, organisation, and of course, remuneration.  

In the regions, there’s a sense of steadiness. Turnover is low, with many people seemingly happy in their roles. The comment I have heard repeatedly is that it’s not so much about bracing for a downturn, it’s that teams are settled and internal HR can manage recruitment with ease.

We’re also still seeing the lingering effects of restructuring and realignments in the public sector. These have stalled hiring in many government teams. Despite this, there are isolated pockets of growth, and business areas that are starting to pop up with new activity.

Across the board, we are still seeing a large volume of applications for roles. People are feeling tired and unsettled, but also quietly hopeful. Job security remains to be front of mind, whilst we are seeing more positivity in the market there are still a lot of people out of work and doing it tough. Our focus is to give them as much feedback and support through these times as we can.  

‍

Nik King-Turner

Nik King-Turner

Talent Wellington Managing Director
Find regional jobs

Candidate needs

  • Support and guidance around CV/interview prep is a common theme. There are a lot of people that are looking for work that haven’t applied or interviewed for a new role in a long time so need our help to get prepared.
  • Communication, feedback, regular updates on applications.
  • Security around contract extensions is paramount.
  • Flexibility around WFH.

Business needs

  • Businesses are looking for market intel around rates both contract and permanent for varying skillsets. This is for upcoming projects that are in the pipeline.
  • Reports on spend, tenure of contractor contracts.
  • A close recruitment partner to give strategic advisor support.

The year ahead

Looking ahead, the next quarter is critical for the government. With an election looming next year, there will be pressure to shift from cost-cutting to actual policy delivery, particularly in Q1 and Q2, that could drive more stability and confidence in the public sector hiring landscape.

From a recruitment perspective, we anticipate that, as market confidence builds, so too will candidates’ appetite for change. People who have been sitting tight in the name of job security may begin exploring new roles, which could result in high applicant volumes and simultaneously offer employers access to some exceptional talent. On the other side of this coin, it may also raise the issue of attrition for employers.

Overall, the second half of the year could bring more clarity, opportunity, and movement, especially if early signs of recovery continue to build. While uncertainty remains, there’s also momentum, and that’s something to watch.

Our recommendations:

  1. Invest in AI literacy now: Your board and exec team need to understand the potential AI applications in your business, the data/security threats and lead a change programme for both.
  2. Clarify your EVP: Don’t wait for a candidate short market – this will flip very fast.
  3. Review sourcing strategy: If you’re relying on job ads, you’re already behind. 82% of Talent’s placements are from market mapping and proactive search. We also continue to hear of hiring managers who are overwhelmed with processing applicants and strongly believe their time is better used.
  4. Rebuild diverse talent pipelines: If you’re serious about increasing Māori and Pasifika representation, you need a structured, multi-year plan. That includes who you work with.

Discover salaries

Our experts interact with hiring managers and candidates daily, giving us unique, real-world insights into the latest salary and benefits trends.

Search Salaries

Wellington

Talent Insights

Tech Talent

8k technology professionals with an average tenure of 1.9 years

(source: LinkedIn Talent Insights)

Gender Identity

38
% Female
62
% Male
*This information has been retrieved from sources with gender binary data. We acknowledge those who do not fit within this framework and understand there are more gender identities beyond the binary.
(source: LinkedIn Talent Insights)

Top Employers

  • Datacom
  • Ministry of Social Development (MSD)
  • Bank of New Zealand
  • Victoria University of Wellington
  • Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
(source: LinkedIn Talent Insights)

Top Skills

  • Data Processing
  • Mail Servers
  • Azure SQL
  • Microsoft Power Apps
  • Cloud Security

Living in

Wellington

NZ

Consistently ranked as one of the most liveable cities in the world, Wellington offers all the benefits of a large capital city with none of the drawbacks. A twenty minute drive from the CBD and you have a wild, beautiful beach all to yourself. A further twenty minutes and you’re on some of the best hiking trails in the world.

Renowned for its great coffee, exciting art, and relaxed culture; if you’re looking for a change in lifestyle then Wellington is the place to be.

Wellington doesn’t need us to tell you how good it is – just search it up on Google and let the pictures do the talking!

Wellington
Coffee icon

$

5.79

Average cost of a coffee

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$

2,549

p/m

Average rent for 1 bed apartment

Gym icon

$

69

p/m

Average gym membership

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