Global CityIntelligence

Economy & jobs

Economy and jobs in Hastings

Hastings has a tourism-driven economy with strengths in tourism, hospitality and agriculture.

Economy type
Tourism economy
Economy score
72/100

Economy overview

Hastings has a tourism-driven economy with strengths in tourism, hospitality and agriculture.

Hastings, New Zealand is classified as a tourism economy in our deterministic economy index. These are planning estimates derived from country economic priors and existing city signals — not measured GDP or labour-market statistics. Data year 2025; last updated 2026-05-16.

Key industries

The sectors that most shape the local economy, derived deterministically from country and city signals.

Key industries

  • Tourism
  • Hospitality
  • Agriculture
  • Technology
  • Research
  • Software

Employment outlook

The breadth of the labour market and where opportunities concentrate.

Employment outlook

Employment71/100
Job market73/100

Hastings's labour market is strong, with opportunities concentrated in tourism and hospitality, technology and healthcare.

Salary potential

Estimated pay levels and how far local incomes stretch against the cost of living.

Salary potential

Salary potential73/100
Affordability-adjusted income66/100

The affordability-adjusted income score combines estimated pay with the local cost of living, indicating how far a typical income stretches in Hastings.

Business environment

Conditions for operating and growing a business locally.

Business environment

Business environment76/100

This reflects infrastructure, institutional capacity, and the scale of the local market relative to peer cities.

Startup ecosystem

How supportive the local ecosystem is for new ventures.

Startup ecosystem

Startup ecosystem69/100
Innovation73/100

The startup ecosystem in Hastings is strong, supported by universities and skilled talent, a favourable business environment and strong infrastructure.

Remote work suitability

Suitability for remote and distributed work.

Remote work suitability

Remote work79/100
Remote job availability79/100

Hastings offers strong infrastructure and amenities for remote professionals, with a remote-work score of 79/100.

Career opportunities

Overall career opportunity and how it breaks down by sector.

Career opportunities

Overall career opportunity74/100
Technology73/100
Healthcare61/100
Finance50/100
Manufacturing50/100
Tourism74/100
Education60/100

Economy score

A 0–100 composite of employment, salary, business environment, startups, innovation, remote work, and affordability-adjusted income. Used consistently across the platform.

Economy score

Economy score72/100
Employment71/100
Salary73/100
Business environment76/100
Startup ecosystem69/100
Innovation73/100
Remote work79/100

Jobs score

A 0–100 labour-market composite and its sector components.

Jobs score

Job market73/100
Technology73/100
Healthcare61/100
Finance50/100
Manufacturing50/100
Tourism74/100
Education60/100
Remote availability79/100
Career opportunity74/100

Continue exploring

Continue researching this city across the platform's other planning surfaces.

Continue exploring