Here at Workopolis, we remain fairly optimistic about the job market for the remainder 2015. May’s Labour Force Survey from Statistics Canada showed that the country added nearly sixty thousand positions last month, mostly full-time, private sector jobs.

According to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey for Q3 of 2015, we can expect to see these gains in employment continue. The survey of over 1,900 employers across Canada reveals that 20% plan to increase their staffing levels in the third quarter of 2015. (74% say that they plan to maintain their current staff levels, and just 5% are expecting job cuts.)

While Ontario was the big winner for jobs in May’s Labour Force Survey, the Manpower report predicts the employment momentum to continue to move eastward with Quebec and Atlantic Canada seeing the most robust hiring in the coming months.

Fewer employers in Ontario and Western Canada are anticipating growth, with just 8% or 7% respectively saying that they plan to hire in early 2015. Jobseekers in Quebec should expect a modest hiring climate, with just 6% of employers planning to staff up.

Some of this regional shift in hiring continues to be as a result of falling oil prices. The oil producing provinces, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador saw increases in unemployment last month, while the rest of the country experienced job gains.

However, according to Manpower, the cities expecting the least hiring gains in the coming months are all in Southern Ontario.

Canadian cities expecting the most hiring in Q3 2015

  • Fredericton, NB
  • Quebec City, QC
  • York Region, ON
  • Richmond-Delta, BC
  • Durham Region, ON
  • Cape Breton, NS

Canadian regions with the slowest hiring climates for Q3 2015

  • London, ON
  • Northumberland, ON
  • Fort Erie, ON
  • Niagara Falls, ON
  • St. Catharines, ON
  • Burlington/Oakville, ON

The Manpower report also broke down the hiring intentions of Canadian firms by sector. Employers in Finance, Insurance and Real Estate are expecting the most hiring, and Manufacturing – Non-Durables and Mining are projecting the least.

Sectors anticipating the most hiring

  • Finance, Insurance & Real Estate sector
  • Transportation & Public Utilities
  • Services

Sectors with the lowest projected hiring

  • Manufacturing − Non-Durables sector
  • Mining sector
  • Education

Read the in-depth Employment Outlook Report for Q3 of 2015 from Manpower.

Demand for technology workers

Over in the technology sector, the hiring outlook looks positive as well. Last week, our friends at Robert Half reported on the hiring intentions of Canadian CIOs (Chief Information Officers). The job market remains healthy for techies as 73% of CIOs surveyed say that they plan to hire in the coming months – both to add staff, and fill currently vacant openings.

Among the hardest skills for Canadian employers to hire for, six of the top twelve are technology-related.

Recruiting still remains a challenge. One third (29%) of CIOs said it’s somewhat or very challenging to find skilled IT professionals today. They also revealed the skills in greatest demand within their organizations, which include:

  • Wireless network management (64 per cent)
  • Network administration (56 per cent)
  • Windows administration (55 per cent)
  • Database management (49 per cent)

“With high confidence in future growth, job seekers need to be aware of where technology demands lie as an essential service, and be prepared to fill those needs as they arise in the coming months,” said Deborah Bottineau, senior regional manager of Robert Half Technology.

Fully 98% of survey respondents said they are confident in their company’s prospects for growth in the next six months, and cited no plans to reduce the number of IT professionals currently on staff.

The technology hiring forecasts for the last half of 2015 is based on interviews with more than 270 CIOs from major Canadian markets who were asked to provide a six-month hiring outlook.

View the complete infographic from Robert Half Technology.