Haines insights

Could the United States be part of the solution to New Zealand's academic talent challenges?

The headlines have (rightly) focused on the 5.6% unemployment rate. But what about the other 94.4%?

If you’re a Kiwi working in construction, property or engineering overseas, chances are you’ve thought about coming home. But what’s actually waiting for you here?

In this article, we wanted to spend some time focusing on the job hunters, no nonsense advice from New Zealand’s longest established recruitment advertising agency. We hope that by sharing our thoughts and insights, we can ease the load, focus the mind, and contribute to more kiwis finding the right roles.

Trade Me’s latest market insights and our Global Talent Survey are telling the same story: interest in changing jobs is high, but confidence to actually move remains uneven. While intent is rising across both local and global markets, structural barriers and role friction are slowing conversion from interest to action.

Kiwis have always had one eye on the world - but are more starting to look back home?

Different generations engage with recruitment content in distinct ways. Gen Z seeks purpose and identity, Millennials want life-aligned roles, and Gen X/Boomers value structure and recognition. Recognising these differences allows TA teams to design campaigns that resonate with each audience. As you adopt a strategic enabler mindset, understanding generational differences becomes crucial in shaping recruitment campaigns. We’re in the most diverse workforce New Zealand has ev

TL;DR: Most recruitment budgets focus on short-term conversion tactics like job ads. But lasting results come from investing across the full funnel, especially in brand building and consideration. Treat recruitment like brand marketing: attribute influence, not just clicks.  Positioning recruitment marketing as an investment  In Part One, we mapped the marketing funnel to the candidate journey. Now let’s look at how budgets align to each stage and why most TA spend is stack

TD:LR: No employer brand? That silence is costing you. Without clear, consistent signals, great candidates scroll past, drop off, or choose competitors. Brand isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s a performance multiplier. It builds trust, fuels long-term growth, and makes every job ad work harder. We’ve talked about crafting better ads. About winning attention. About where to show up, and how. But even the best-placed ad can’t fix what isn’t there. Because when you don’t actively sha

TL;DR: You’ve got three seconds to hook someone, make it count. Grab attention with clear, relevant messaging and strong visuals. Then back it up with a smart omnichannel strategy that meets candidates where they are, from TikTok to ZEIL. Consistency and clarity across every touchpoint turn interest into action. Now that you’ve written a great job ad, the next thing to understand is that In today’s digital world, you have roughly three seconds to capture someone’s interest b

TL;DR: Most job ads fail because they’re generic and disconnected from brand and culture. Today’s candidates want more than duties, they want purpose, flexibility, and growth. Great ads tell a story, reflect real culture, and connect on a human level. But even the best ad needs a strong employer brand behind it to truly work. We’ve all seen them: copy-paste job ads listing duties, bullet points, and the promise of a “competitive salary.” In a market where it's easier than ev