An eight-year hiring intentions high in the South Island is more than double the national average, according to the Hudson Report: Employment and HR Trends, who say 40.1 percent of employers in the region intend to bolster their workforce in the next quarter.
Insurance and government payouts are spurring the growth.
"Treasury has predicted that the influx of government and insurance money will contribute to an economic rebuild that is now likely to be larger and longer lived than previously thought," says Roman Rogers, executive general manager of Hudson.
Released quarterly, The Hudson Report the report uncovers and analyses the hiring expectations of New Zealand employers over the forthcoming quarter and provides insights into a range of human resource issues impacting on business and the broader economy.
The New Zealand Institute of Economic Research Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion (QSBO) also saw a heightened percentage of Canterbury employers intending to hire, but were circumspect about the outlook because the survey had not attracted a full response from the quake-hit region.
"The Canterbury figures may look stronger than reality suggests because only businesses still operating respond to our survey", NZIER said.
"The weakness experienced by businesses unable to trade is not captured."
Hudson said 18 per cent of businesses nationwide planned to hire new staff, down 4.6 percent on last quarter and 6.4 percent compared to the same period last year.
This decline echoed statements in the QSBO, despite an increase of one percent in actual hirings for the past quarter.
"The positivity is in Canterbury, with the rest of the country showing signs of flattening or slowing", the survey says.
The reason for slowing of employment across the rest of the nation is due to businesses keeping an eye on external factors, says Mr Rogers in the Hudson report.
"Many employers are considering the potential impact of external factors, like recent events in Europe" he says.
NZN