Canadian Employment Outlook Reveals Cautious Hiring
In a survey released by the Manpower Group, employment outlook in Canada is looking cautious as well as moderate for Q1 of 2012. The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey took a look at employers hiring plans the upcoming quarter, revealing that there is a slight increase, 15 per cent in the Net Employment Outlook, expected in hiring comparatively to Q4 2011.
Surveying more than 1,900 Canadian employers, the Manpower Employment Outlook found that 16 per cent of Canadian businesses expect to increase payrolls in Q1 while 10 per cent see cutbacks in the near future. Overall, 71 per cent see a continuation of current staffing levels while three per cent were unable to anticipate their hiring intentions.
“The upcoming quarter’s Net Employment Outlook suggests some gains in employer optimism, particularly in the Manufacturing - Durables sector,” says Byrne Luft, Vice President of Operations, Staffing Services for Manpower Canada. “Although Western Canada anticipates the most favourable hiring climate, employers in all regions and sectors are telling us that they plan to hire at a more cautious pace from January to March compared with the previous quarter. Despite slight improvement overall, many employers are evidently taking time to evaluate current market conditions and demand for their products and services before committing to additional employees. It will be interesting to see how employer optimism develops through the rest of the year.”
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Sector-wise, there is a range of optimistic anticipation in each industry. Sectors confident about the first quarter with Net Employment Outlooks of 15 per cent and above include Mining at 16 per cent, Manufacturing–Durables at 17 per cent. Other industries expectations include Transportation & Public Utilities at 13 per cent, Public Administration at 10 per cent, Construction at 13 per cent, Services at 12 per cent, Finance, Insurance & Real Estate at 12 per cent, Manufacturing—Non-Durables at 13 per cent, Wholesale & Retail Trade at 13 per cent and finally coming in with the lowest expectation is Education with a Net Employment Outlook of five per cent.
