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Summarised by Centrist
An Auckland firm has received 2,500 applications for a single entry-level customer service role. The more striking detail is that most applicants are not from New Zealand.
Oppo managing director Morgan Halim said he would usually consider 500 applicants a high number for one job ad. This time, the listing “far exceeded our expectations”.
The role is based in central Auckland and requires demonstrated customer service experience, with call centre experience considered an advantage. Halim said entry-level positions consistently draw more interest than specialist roles.
The company, which employs 27 staff, will now sift through thousands of CVs. Halim said location is a key filter. “We work in the CBD, and we want to make sure they’re comfortable to come in and out from the business.” Experience also helps narrow the field quickly.
But only 44 per cent of applicants for this role were from New Zealand.
“It’s still a lot of numbers, 44 per cent is about a thousand and something, but it at least cuts it in half, basically,” Halim said.
That means more than half of the 2,500 applicants were offshore.
Infometrics chief executive Brad Olsen said the spike in applications reflects a broader labour market squeeze. Compared with November 2019, there has been a 243 per cent increase in applicants per job ad on Seek, while total job listings remain about 25 per cent below pre-pandemic levels.
“There is a substantial increase coming through, and it’s going to take a lot for that number to come back to anywhere near normal,” Olsen said.
He added that while applications per filled role have stabilised in recent months, they remain at very high levels, with no immediate sign of improvement.
