The number of people applying for jobs rose for a second consecutive month in November as the number of jobs on offer continues to shrink.

Employment firm Seek says applications per job ad rose four per cent in October and are now at the highest level recorded by it.

Job ads fell by five per cent month-on-month, and are 28 per cent lower than the same time a year ago.

Retail and consumer products recorded a downward trend in hiring.

Retail ads retreated 12 per cent in November, while hospitality and tourism fell nine per cent.

Seek country manager Rob Clark says hirers are spoilt for choice with strong levels of competition among applicants.

"Retail and consumer products, and hospitality and tourism, were the lead contributors to the decline in November.

"While it is expected that hiring within these industries would slow down at the end of the year, retail and consumer products in particular has been recording a downward trend in hiring for the past three months."

Cities continue to lead the downturn in the labour market with ad volumes falling to a greater degree in the metro areas compared to the smaller regions.

Job ads fell by seven per cent in Wellington in November, while listings in Auckland dropped six per cent.

The monthly decline was not across the board, however, as Manawatū, Southland and Gisborne recorded small increases in job ad volumes month-on-month.

"When compared to the same time last year, Gisborne is the only region where job ads have increased, up 9 percent from November 2022," says Rob.

"All other regions have declined after the great job boom of 2022."

The sharp annual decrease in listings experienced in Wellington was 32 per cent, closely followed by Auckland down 31 per cent.

Job ads were 29 per cent lower in Waikato compared to the same time a year ago, and down 25 per cent in Canterbury compared to last November.

"Candidates will have to work harder to stand out amongst the strong level of competition."

-RNZ.