Job growth expected to continue at healthy pace through 2013: Survey

One-half of employers to hire permanent, full-time employees

Despite economic uncertainty across the globe, Canadian employers have added more than 250,000 jobs over the last 12 months, according to Statistics Canada, and the trend is expected to continue through the end of the year.

Forty-eight per cent of the 400 hiring managers surveyed are planning on hiring new permanent, full-time employees between July 1 and Dec. 31, 2013, an increase of eight percentage points from this time last year, found a survey by CareerBuilder.

“Canada’s job market continues to show growth in a variety of industries and is resulting in an unemployment rate that continues to trend down,” said Brent Rasmussen, president of CareerBuilder North America. “Our survey tells us that employers will continue to invest in the areas of their companies that strengthen their brands, bring in new customers and drive innovation.”

Among employers planning to hire in the second half of 2013, they plan to add a variety of new employees:

• full-time, permanent employees (48 per cent)
• contract/temporary employees (42 per cent)
• part-time employees (34 per cent)
• interns (25 per cent).

The top functional areas for which businesses plan to hire in the second half of 2013 are those directly impacting and supporting revenue and innovation:

• customer service (33 per cent)
• sales (24 per cent)
• information technology (22 per cent)
• production (17 per cent)
• marketing (17 per cent)
• accounting/finance (14 per cent)
• research and development (14 per cent).

Emerging occupations

The workforce continues to evolve, and the need for workers with specialized skill sets is emerging. When asked if their organizations plan to hire in specific areas in the second half of 2013, employers pointed to the following:

• social media (25 per cent)
• cloud technology (20 per cent)
• financial regulation (19 per cent)
• mobile technology (19 per cent)
• cyber security (18 per cent)
• health informatics (16 per cent)
• global relations (14 per cent).

Latest stories