Net employment outlook of 14 per cent, finds Manpower
Canadian employers are hopeful about the hiring climate for the first quarter of 2011, according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.
Sixteen per cent plan to increase payrolls while 11 per cent anticipate cutbacks, found the survey of more than 1,900 employers. Almost three-quarter (72 per cent) of employers expect to maintain current staffing levels and one per cent are unsure of hiring intentions for the upcoming quarter.
The net employment outlook of 14 per cent is also a three percentage point improvement from the same time last year when employers reported a seasonally adjusted outlook of 11 per cent, found Manpower.
"The hiring climate remains favourable," said Lori Procher, vice-president and general manager at Manpower Canada. "Employers are telling us that they plan to hire at a similar pace as three months ago. Meanwhile, employers in eight of the 10 industry sectors we track anticipate stronger hiring activity than in early 2010."
Employers in wholesale and retail trade and transportation and public utilities report the strongest results for the first quarter of 2011 with projected net employment outlooks of 17 and 16 per cent, respectively, once seasonal variations are removed from the survey data. This is followed by finance, insurance and real estate, where employers report a net employment outlook of 14 per cent.
Industry variations
Employers in the wholesale and retail trade sector anticipate a positive first quarter, reporting a net employment outlook of 17 per cent once seasonal variations are removed from the survey data. This is a five-percentage-point increase from the previous quarter. It is also a six percentage point improvement from the outlook reported during the same time last year.
In the transportation and public utilities sector, employers anticipate an upbeat hiring climate for the upcoming quarter with a net employment outlook of 16 per cent. This is up slightly from the previous quarter when employers reported a seasonally adjusted net employment outlook of 14 per cent. It is also a six percentage point improvement from the outlook reported during the same time last year.
Employers in finance, insurance and real estate forecast a hopeful hiring climate, reporting a Net Employment Outlook of 14 per cent for the first quarter of 2011. This quarter's Outlook is a six percentage point decrease from the previous quarter as well as a slight drop from the Outlook of 16 per cent which was reported during the same time last year.
In manufacturing, durable goods, employers report a net employment outlook of 13 per cent. This forecast is an eight-percentage-point drop from the outlook projected during the previous quarter. However, it is a moderate improvement from the same time last year when the outlook was five per cent.
Public sector employers report a steady outlook for the first quarter of 2011 with seasonally adjusted net employment outlook of 13 per cent, unchanged from the previous quarter and a two- percentage-point improvement from the same time last year.
In mining, employers report a net employment outlook of 12 per cent for the first quarter of 2011, a 12-percentage-point drop from the previous quarter. However, it is a slight improvement from the outlook of 10 per cent reported during the same time last year.
Construction employers anticipate a respectable hiring environment for the first quarter of 2011, reporting a net employment outlook of 11 per cent. This is a slight drop from the previous quarter with an outlook of 13 per cent. However, it is also a three-percentage-point improvement from a year ago.
In the education industry sector, employers anticipate a moderate hiring climate for the first quarter of 2011, with a net employment outlook of 10 per cent. This forecast is a decrease from the previous quarter with an outlook of 13 per cent but is a five-percentage-point increase from the same time last year.
With a net employment outlook of 10 per cent, employers in the manufacturing, non-durables sector expect a fair hiring climate for the first quarter of 2011. This is a slight decrease from the previous quarter when it was 14 per cent but is also a five-percentage-point improvement from the same time last year.
Employers in the services sector report a net employment outlook of seven per cent, indicating a mild hiring climate for the upcoming three-month period. This is down slightly from both the previous quarter the same time last year when service sector employers reported seasonally adjusted outlooks of 10 per cent.
