The Department of Labour (DoL) has announced that, based on vacancies posted on New Zealand’s three largest recruitment sites, demand for skilled workers in the country has gone up by 5%.

“Firms will look to restore hours of existing staff before they take on new employees. We do not expect a substantial rise in the number of new vacancies until later in the year,” said a statement released by the DoL.

The report predicts that skills shortages are likely to emerge across several sectors as the economy improves in New Zealand. Manufacturing, for instance, expanded for its fourth straight month in December, as consumer confidence increases nationally.

A similar study is conducted annually, though this year has seen a shift to a study only of job vacancies posted online, rather than in newspapers, to match trends seen in the marketplace.