Job vacancies in the Bay of Plenty increased by 29 per cent in the year to October 2016, according to figures released by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

The growth is more than that in Auckland and Wellington combined over the same period, and more than any other region.

Nationally, the hospitality and tourism industry has seen the biggest increase in advertised vacancies, up 20.2 per cent.

Occupations in construction, such as machinery drivers/operators and labourers, continue to increase in demand, with 25 per cent growth in those job listings.

Significantly, unskilled occupations (Level 5) have seen the largest increase (19.8 per cent) in job opportunities, while highly skilled (Level 1) jobs have seen the smallest increase (9.4 per cent).

Many occupations have shown large increases in advertised vacancies in the past year. Some of the fastest growing include multimedia specialists and web developers (185 per cent), environmental scientists (157 per cent), concreters (150 per cent), caretakers (118 per cent), office support workers (114 per cent), and mechanical engineering draftspersons and technicians (104 per cent).

Priority One Communications/Projects Manager Annie Hill says the numbers reflect what she seen happening in the region.

'We're increasingly being seen as a competitive place from which to do business. About 50 per cent of the country's population is within a three-hour drive of Tauranga, so we have the advantage of proximity for distribution.”

She says Tauranga has benefited from the difficulties experienced by Auckland.

'We are getting a lot of businesses moving out of Auckland and coming down here. We've always had a fabulous lifestyle, so it's not difficult getting skilled people to move here.”

MBIE's full report can be found here.