Canadian survey predicts steady employment in ’07

TORONTO — Canadian employers in the transportation-public utilities sector expect a 17 percent boost in hiring in the first quarter of 2007.

As for the rest of Canadian industries, the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, predicts a moderate but steady hiring climate from January to March period of 2007.

The survey of more than 1,700 Canadian employers reveals that 17 percent plan to increase their payrolls while 14 percent anticipate cutbacks for a Net Employment Outlook of plus-3 percent. Of those polled, 67 percent expect no changes and two percent are unsure of their staffing intentions.

The survey predicts a 17 percent employment
increase in the transportation sector

With seasonal variations removed from the survey data, the Net Employment Outlook of plus 18 percent is three-percentage points weaker from the previous quarter; however, it is relatively stable compared to the same time last year, indicating a positive beginning to the staffing picture for 2007.

“This quarter’s Net Employment Outlook indicates a slightly weaker but steady hiring forecast for the start of the year,” said Lori Rogers, vice-president and general manager for Manpower Canada. “However, the first quarter of the year is normally characterized by a restrictive hiring climate.”
“The hiring climate in Western Canada is ahead of the national forecast,” Rogers adds.

Employers in Western Canada report an active hiring climate with a Net Employment Outlook of plus 25 per cent. Quebec employers anticipate a moderate hiring climate with a Net Employment Outlook of plus 4 percent, while employers in Ontario suggest mixed intentions with a overall rate of minus 2 percent. Atlantic Canada employers trail the other regions with a reported Net Employment Outlook of minus 12 percent.

Transportation showed a plus 17 percent rating, while the construction sector plans a steady hiring pace with a seasonally adjusted Net Employment Outlook of percent 14 percent, although the number is 24 percentage points weaker from the previous quarter.

A cautiously optimistic three-month period is anticipated by employers in the manufacturing/durable goods sector, where a Net Employment Outlook of plus 9 percent is reported, once seasonal variations are removed. This outlook is three-percentage points weaker than the previous quarter.


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