
The survey revealed that 21% of employers plan to increase their number of employees over the next few months, while only 5% expect to make cutbacks. Seventy percent expect no change to their staffing. The overall Net Employment Outlook (with seasonal variations removed) is 10%. While this is a nine point drop from the previous quarter, experts still rate the hiring climate as “fair”.
“This quarter’s Net Employment Outlook indicates that the moderate hiring activity seen in the previous quarter has weakened in second quarter of 2008,” said Yvonne Tennenbaum, regional director for Manpower Canada. “Employers are telling us that over the next three months, they plan on adding to their payrolls at a slower pace than in the previous quarter.”
On the other hand, Atlantic Canada, Western Canada and Ontario are all head of the national hiring forecast with Net Employment Outlooks of 25%, 18% and 15%, respectively.
The sectors expecting to increase their workforce the most are: public administration, with a Net Employment Outlook of 19%, service with 17% and mining with 15%.
While all of the sectors have lower Net Employment Outlooks than in the last quarter, and lower than at the same time last year, hiring rates are still favourable.
To comment on this story, email april.scottclarke@rci.rogers.com.
