Analysis of 65,000 job advertisements over the last three months has shown significant gender splits in several sectors, with men dominating applications in executive and general management positions.

According to analysis by Trade Me, who examined adverts over the last three months, 59 per cent of women applied for roles in the retail sector while public sector roles and banking & finance were evenly split between male and female applicants.

Trade Me Jobs spokesman, Jeremy Wade, said the proportion of men applying for roles was higher for every bracket above $40,000, and the proportion of women diminished as pay rates increased.

“Women are much less likely to apply for a high-paying role, and we saw this peak for six-figure salary roles where the proportion of women applying is just 30 per cent.”

“I’d never advocate that any job hunter chases money over enjoyment and satisfaction, but the value placed on particular roles is an important conversation for us to have,”  Wade said.

The average salary for roles listed on Trade Me rose 1.1 per cent this quarter, landing at $61,095. Almost every region saw a lift in average salaries, with only the wider Wellington region (down 2.3 per cent to $67,351) and the Bay of Plenty (down 2 per cent to $53,748) seeing a dip.

Wellington City continues to hold the top spot for average rate of pay at $72,958, more than $1500 higher than Auckland City.

Wade said the much debated ‘halo effect’ around the Auckland property market appeared to be having an impact on job listings.

“Regions around Auckland have seen impressive growth in listings with the Bay of Plenty up 27 per cent, Waikato up 10 per cent and Northland up 21 per cent on a year ago.”

“Some employers are choosing to set up shop in regional areas because of the lower cost of operation. It’s not all about Auckland for them, with improved technology and infrastructure they don’t need to be in Auckland to access that market.”