ManpowerGroup says fourth quarter outlook is in line with Q3
Canadian employers are shunning talk of a slowdown in the economy and intend to create more jobs in the coming months.
The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey shows that Canada’s businesses are intending to continue hiring at a steady pace for the last three months of 2019.
The outlook of a net 12% is the same as in the third quarter and 1 percentage point below that of the fourth quarter of 2018.
Among the 1,900 employers polled, 15% expect to increase their staffing levels with 6% planning to make cuts. More than three quarters of respondents are expecting staffing levels to remain the same in Q4 2019.
The positive outlook is shown across the 10 major sector groups and 4 major regions with Quebec recording its strongest outlook in 16 years (+25%).
New roles in the Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate sectors are expected with an outlook of 16%, but employers in the Transportation & Public Utilities (+17%) & the Public Administration Sectors (+17%) report the highest industry outlooks.
"As 2019 ends, the market for Canadian job seekers is a bit of a mixed bag. While unemployment figures were at record lows over the summer, the hiring outlook seems to be weakening in some sectors. Companies want to remain competitive and maintain their employee levels as they go into the new year. At the same time, there is a real struggle to find and retain qualified talent," said Darlene Minatel, Country Manager for ManpowerGroup Canada. "On the positive side, Quebec is boasting their strongest hiring pace since regional analysis was added to the survey 16 years ago. With provincial finances under control and a strong tech scene centered around four universities, the province is making up for lost time and creating more jobs."
