Taranaki's Chamber of Commerce says major investment in the region has helped drive job listings.
The North Island district is the best performing area for new job advertisements on the website SEEK.
Photo: RNZ
Fourteen percent more jobs were listed in Taranaki last year than in 2012. Auckland had the biggest number of listed jobs, but only 1% growth.
Taranaki Chamber of Commerce chairman Grant McQuoid said on Monday that offshore drilling in the area is providing an economic boost.
Mr McQuoid said it is one of the largest drilling projects in at least a decade and is driving activity supporting oil and gas in the engineering and trade sectors.
"On top of that, the rural sector has a positive payout - the mix of rain and sunshine's right. Both of those sectors are feeding engineering, so Taranaki is looking very strong for the next 12 months - maybe three to five years."
Overall, the job figures are fairly flat, with just 1000 more new opportunities listed across New Zealand last year than in 2012.
Sectors with the most available jobs were information technology, trades and services and office administration.
More jobs listed in 2013
SEEK says the job market appears to be improving, with more jobs listed last year than in 2012.
The website says 252,000 positions were advertised in 2013. Design and architecture was the best performing sector with a 59% rise in available positions.
General manager Janet Faulding said that is not surprising, given the growth in the residential and commercial property markets.
May was the best month to secure a new position, while December was the worst.
Auckland had the most opportunities with over 125,000 jobs advertised compared with 43,000 in Wellington and 38,000 in Christchurch.
