SoT2024 Report
2024 was a challenging year for many in Aotearoa. Hiring freezes and redundancies were common, and many of our long time loyal employers faced tough decisions about their future. We had amazing support from so many quarters, if they weren’t able to hire then many offered their time as volunteers supporting students, helping them position themselves for a time when jobs are more plentiful.
We were on track to smash our 2023 record for candidate registrations, so made the tough call to close candidate signups early as the odds for getting employed were looking slim, and our resources were stretched to support so many candidates.
Once again job listings were very low, and employers found it overwhelming to choose from so many applications. We doubled down on candidate support, joining the AI trend with a CV co-pilot. We `connected Māori candidates with industry mentors, allocated over $15,000 in scholarships and financial assistance, and hosted successful in-person and online recruitment events.
Some highlights from SoT 2024: AI and human careers support, mentor matching, financial assistance, community connections and record candidate engagement.
Our heartfelt thanks to our incredible team, and to our sponsors, volunteers, community and of course the employers who did manage to find spots for interns and graduates.
Here’s a roundup of SoT 2024:
2024 Candidates
In 2024 we had record numbers of registrations, so made the call to close new candidate registrations and profile reviews at the end of July. We peaked at 2,898 active candidates.
Graph showing 2022, 2023 and 2024 available SoT candidates
They came from 36 tertiary institutions throughout Aotearoa. 20% were recent graduates, and 30% were in their final year of study. 35% of candidates were women, so our candidate base was similar to our usual cohort, there were just more of them, engaged much earlier in the year.
2024 Events
Everyone registered as a candidate with Summer of Tech can attend our free educational and informational events. Our goal is to connect candidates to the knowledge and people they need to get their first job in tech, including technical, professional and career support.
As a charity, we are privileged to work with industry volunteers, many of them alumni from past programmes.
Across 78 events, we had 1,034 unique candidate attendees, showing up at an average of 3.5 events each. The average number of events attended by successful candidates was 5, the average number attended by unsuccessful candidates was 2. We were able to deliver our programme with the help of 100 industry volunteers, who supported our technical, professional and career skills events.
This was an interesting deviation from 2023, we had MORE attendees, averaging fewer events. 2024 saw a 20% increase in volunteers, and many of them gave time to 1:1 sessions including CV and portfolio reviews, and career chats.
2024 Recruitment
Summer intern recruitment season kicks off in September each year, with our Meet & Greet events. This year a total of 1,239 candidates attended, in-person in Auckland and Wellington, and online.
2024 Auckland Meet & Greet getting underway
We scheduled 649 Speed Interviews for employers to help them narrow down their long list to a shorter list of candidates.
2024 Placements
This year 132 people accepted offers for Summer of Tech roles across 41 different organisations. This was 50% fewer employers compared to 2023.
35% of roles were filled by women and gender diverse candidates, down from 51% in 2023. Last year, we saw organisations hiring strategically, looking to support underrepresented groups. This year, we saw a reduction in diversity, including gender ethnicity and institution.
Successful candidates in 2024 came from only 13 tertiary institutions. In 2023 we had 22. It’s the smaller, non-traditional institutions that aren’t represented this year.
Average wage across all roles was $29.09/hr, a small increase on 2023.
Attendees and presenters at the Pasifika career panel hosted by Z Energy.
Bring on 2025!
Yes, it’s been a bleak couple of years for early tech talent in Aotearoa, but we are grateful to still be here, and ready for a better 2025! Aotearoa’s tech industry depends on us supporting, retaining and growing new talent, and the time to invest is now! More on the case for early talent over here.
We have so many students and grads keen to get a foot in the door, please join us on our mission to create…
“A strong, inclusive NZ tech sector, with thousands of new high quality internships and graduate roles annually offering high-impact support and growth opportunities for people starting their tech career”
Thank you to our Sponsors
Thank you to our dedicated 2024 sponsors and partners who support our mahi and help shape the future of Aotearoa’s tech industry:
Have any burning questions? Want more detail and data? Ready to sign up for 2025? The Summer of Tech team would love to answer any queries you may have about recruiting juniors for your tech team.
Contact us at hello@summeroftech.co.nz for a chat.
