ManpowerGroup report paints optimistic picture overall for Canadians seeking work
Canadian employers are intending to hire employees in the next quarter according to new research.
The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey shows a 27-percentage point increase year-over-year in the second quarter of 2022, with a national outlook of +37%.
Banking, finance, insurance, and real estate is one of the most optimistic sectors (+36%), only beaten by manufacturing (+39%), wholesale and retail trade (+46%), IT, technology, telecoms, communications, and media (+51%), and primary production (+56%).
The forward-looking report produces a net percentage of Canadian employers intending to hire in the coming quarter based on the share expecting an increase in hiring activity minus those expecting a decrease.
“The Canadian job market continues to look significantly healthy for the coming quarter,” said Darlene Minatel, country manager of ManpowerGroup Canada. “From the dim Outlooks reported in 2020, through the positive trajectory of hiring intentions over 2021 with the introduction of Covid-19 vaccination, employers are now expressing consistent confidence in the economy. There will be opportunities for job seekers across the country and across all sectors.”
Of the 1000+ employers polled, 49% expect to add payroll staff from April-June 2022, while 13% expect cutbacks, 36% expect to maintain current levels, while 2% are unsure.
The strongest regional outlooks are reported by employers in the Northern Territories (+65% although based on a small sample size), Atlantic Canada (+40%), Ontario (+39%), and Western Canada (+38%).
Job vacancies
Also released this week is Statistics Canada’s latest jobs vacancy data with figures for the fourth quarter of 2021 revealing a peak of 915,500 vacancies nationwide.
The stats coincide with almost full recovery of payroll employment and falling unemployment, the agency said. The vacancies represent an 80% increase compared to 2019 and 63% above the 2020 level.
The sectors seeking employees are led by accommodation and food services, health care and social assistance, retail trade, manufacturing, and construction. These five sectors account for 65% of the overall increase in vacancies.
