"Looking through this volatility, job ads point to labour market stability." So far, the labour market had been resilient in the face of downbeat business sentiment. Hiring intentions and activity expectations had fallen, which could mean recent strength in the labour market being eroded. Without the bump, job advertisements increased by 1.6% month on month and 4.2% annually. Ms Kendall said the labour market was close to full employment although underlying wage growth was subdued.

Source: Otago Daily Times August 03, 2018 16:30 UTC