“I was applying to at least 10 [jobs] a day for the first couple of weeks,” she said.
“I’ve done everything right – studied, interned, networked – but full-time jobs are almost impossible to get.”
Hayley, who recently landed a permanent role, said most employers don’t even reply to job applications.
“It was quite defeating and a little bit frustrating. Especially when you’re spending most of your days crafting these letters to apply for jobs.”
Hayley said the lack of jobs had been frustrating for her and her peers.
“I know that a lot of my peers as well want these jobs, so the competition just keeps growing.
“So many of my friends want to move overseas but cannot afford to or have taken jobs outside their field just to survive.”
Last month, the Herald reported a minimum-wage Christmas casual role for a sales assistant at Welly-Putt in Wellington had attracted more than 600 applicants in just over three weeks.
“I think that’s very indicative of the sorts of things we’re seeing,” Webster said.
“We’re definitely seeing people taking multiple casual or part-time jobs … a lot of treading water and stop-gap measures.”
Last week, Stats NZ said annual unemployment for the September quarter hit 5.3%, the highest it has been since December 2016.
Younger age groups were among the hardest hit by labour market conditions, with the unemployment rate for 15- to 24-year-olds increasing from 13.1% to 15.2% in the year to the September 2025 quarter.
Meanwhile, the number of underutilised people was 406,000, up 10.6% compared with last year.
Webster said they were not seeing the same lift in businesses hiring for full-time roles as they were for casual positions.
“It does give us a bit of hope that the increase in casual employees employed is at least an indicator that businesses are seeing increased demand and are needing more people.
“Hopefully if businesses get a bit more confident, then they’ll be more willing to take on full-timers.”
Cameron Smith is an Auckland-based business reporter. He joined the Herald in 2015 and has covered business and sports. He reports on topics such as retail, small business, the workplace and macroeconomics.
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