Canadian employers say that they are planning a fair amount of hiring for the coming months. The Manpower Group has just released its Employment Outlook report for the second quarter of 2015. This regular survey of hiring intentions predicts steady employment gains through the spring of this year.

For this national survey of 1,900 employers, business leaders from across regions and industries were asked, “All survey participants were asked, “How do you anticipate total employment at your location to change in the three months to the end of June 2015 as compared to the current quarter?”

18% say that they plan to hire increased staff. The majority, 75% indicate that they plan to maintain their current workforce. A further 2% said that they are still uncertain of their plans. The remaining 5% of employers said that they foresee staff cuts in the coming months.

With many troubling headlines in the news lately about slowdowns in the oil and gas industry and the falling Loonie, it is encouraging to see this report indicating that hiring prospects are unchanged from the previous quarter and relatively stable year-over-year.

However, when you break down the numbers by regions and sectors, you see that the news is better for some areas than others. Amongst the employers surveyed, those in Finance, Insurance & Real Estate were expecting the healthiest hiring climate. Mining companies predict the least hiring of the ten industries surveyed.

Industries predicting the most hiring for Q2 of 2015

  • Construction
  • Transportation & Public Utilities
  • Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate

Industries predicting the least hiring

  • Manufacturing Non-Durables
  • Education
  • Mining

Hiring momentum is moving eastward

“The provinces of Quebec, Alberta, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island saw a rise in employment in January, and the nation’s unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been in over five years,” said Michelle Dunnill, Manpower Area Manager for Toronto, Mississauga and Markham. “However, while the Outlook for Canada is cautiously optimistic, we cannot ignore the obvious concerns over the plunging oil prices and the Canadian dollar’s decrease in value, not to mention that youth unemployment is still nearly double the national average.”

Regions expecting to see increased hiring in Q2 of 2014

  • Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
  • Quebec City, Quebec
  • Surrey, British Columbia
  • Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • Cape Breton Area, Nova Scotia

Areas expecting the least hiring

  • Montreal, Quebec
  • Toronto, Ontario
  • York Region, Ontario
  • Windsor, Ontario
  • Calgary, Alberta
  • Red Deer, Alberta

The results are summarized in the infographic below. Click the image to view a larger version (opens as a PDF). You can also read the full report at www.manpower.ca.

_______

Peter Harris
– Peter Harris on Twitter

_______

Follow Workopolis