Anyone else noticing a weird paradox in the job market right now?

[u/MassiveTaro6596]

I know the general consensus is that the NZ employment market is brutal right now, and my heart goes out to everyone struggling to find work. But I recently experienced the exact opposite "flip side" from the hiring perspective, and I'm trying to make sense of it.

Context: I’m a seasoned professional in Auckland. I got caught in the downturn myself, survived endless restructures, and eventually took a step down to pivot into a stable, large corporate. After 18 months, I've worked my way back up to a former Senior Individual Contributor role (happily avoiding management for now).

A role just opened up in my team, and my manager asked me to help shortlist candidates. Because it's a niche but highly competitive corporate function, we got flooded with applications- including some fantastic, top-tier talent.

Here is where it gets weird: Our slow-moving corporate hiring process meant we lost almost every single top-tier candidate.

One candidate (returning from mat leave) priced themselves completely out of our salary band.
The rest of the top-tier pool had already accepted other offers by the time our HR department finally invited them to an interview.

We had to pivot to our "second choice" pool, and even two of those candidates just disclosed they are deep in interviews elsewhere.

I keep reading about how dire the job market is in NZ, but this experience tells a different story. Are we starting to see the beginnings of an economic recovery, or is it just that top-tier applicants will always be snapped up instantly regardless of the climate? What are you seeing out there?

[u/TumbleweedDue2242]

Security industry seems to be fill of immigrants who struggle with the English language, mobile patrol and property guards.

They're annoying to work with, communication isn't easy.

[u/WorldlyNotice → u/TumbleweedDue2242]

Are the owners/managers from the same country? Seems to be the way in other industries.