The last three months have seen the following careers hit the top 10 table: flight attendant; paramedic; electrician and air traffic controller.

“We know that these searches will show up different results at any given time, but it’s interesting to see the movement in what career choices are on the rise,” says Tim Fowler, Chief Executive of the Tertiary Education Commission.

While unemployment rose slightly from 3.9 percent to 4.3 percent in the latest figures released by Stats NZ, it’s still a buoyant job market.

Latest research commissioned and published by TEC (PDF 4.5 MB) suggests that by grouping job seekers into different clusters, we see new linkages that reflect the skills actually valued by employers, and where those skills can be developed. This bodes well for people looking to move from one career to another.

So the message from Tim Fowler is “You might not think you have the skills required to switch careers but our research tells a different story. Going forward, a specific qualification or experience in a single job or industry should not limit your potential to transfer skills to other jobs and other industries. Our research suggests a more fluid approach to skills and training where people will find it easier to move between jobs”.

Knowing the extent to which skill sets are portable can help workers find new opportunities outside of their experience and work history. This is useful for workers who may find their current career opportunities limited by their declining industry or who decide to embark on a new line of work.

The findings go on to say that on average, an occupation has valuable skills that are transferable to 12 other occupations. This is good news for people looking to switch careers. So the message is, people looking to switch careers would be advised to tailor their CV for the job they are applying for so that applicant tracking systems pick up keywords, increasing your chance of moving to the next stage of the hiring process.

Top jobs at a glance

1 January – 31 March 2019

1.       Police officer

2.       Registered nurse

3.       Psychologist

4.       Secondary-school teacher

5.       Accountant

6.       Flight attendant

7.       Aeroplane pilot

8.       Paramedic

9.       Electrician

10.     Air traffic controller

Top 10 Jobs, Auckland:

1.       Police officer

2.       Registered nurse

3.       Psychologist

4.       Secondary-school teacher

5.       Flight attendant

6.       Aeroplane pilot

7.       Air traffic controller

8.       Electrician

9.       Civil engineer

10.     Surgeon

Top 10 jobs, Wellington

1.       Police officer

2.       Psychologist

3.       Registered nurse

4.       Accountant

5.       Train driver

6.       Secondary school teacher

7.       Paramedic

8.       Air traffic controller

9.       Policy analyst

10.     Primary school teacher

Top 10 jobs, Christchurch

1.       Police officer

2.       Registered nurse

3.       Psychologist

4.       Aeroplane pilot

5.       Flight attendant

6.       Paramedic

7.       Secondary school teacher

8.       Early childhood teacher

9.       Quarantine officer

10.     Chef