Local hiring intentions optimistic for Q1

London-area survey points to a more buoyant hiring climate for first quarter of 2021 as employers look to improved economic climate

ACCORDING TO THE latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey, London area employers expect a hopeful hiring climate for the first quarter of 2021.

“Survey data reveals that 17 per cent of employers plan to hire for the upcoming quarter, while 4 per cent anticipate cutbacks,” says Natasha Djukic of Manpower’s London office. “Another 71 per cent of employers plan to maintain their current staffing levels in the upcoming quarter, while the remaining 8 per cent of employers are unsure of their hiring intentions.

“With seasonal variations removed from the data, London’s first quarter Net Employment Outlook of plus-19 per cent is a 17 percentage-point increase from the Outlook reported during the same time last year,” adds Djukic. “This indicates an upbeat hiring pace for the upcoming months.”

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Although the numbers are positive, Djukic notes that there was no employer outlook for the London region in the previous quarter, so the results should be tempered with the understanding that many workplaces have reduced staff ― some dramatically ― in the previous months.  

Nationally, Canadian employers expect a moderate hiring pace over the next three months. With seasonal variations removed from the data, the Net Employment Outlook for Canada is plus-7 per cent. This is a one percentage point increase when compared to the previous quarterly outlook (4Q 2020) and a three percentage-point decrease from the outlook reported during the same time last year (1Q 2020). Employers in all four regions of the country and in nine industry sectors expect to increase payrolls next quarter. 

“With the uncertainty surrounding the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, a moderate hiring outlook for employers in the first quarter of 2021 can be seen as a positive development,” notes Darlene Minatel, country manager of ManpowerGroup Canada. “With nine of the ten industry sectors expecting to add workers in the upcoming quarter, there will be opportunities for jobseekers. All four regions of the country have positive employment outlooks for the first quarter of 2021 but it’s still challenging for jobseekers in Western Canada with a flat employment outlook.”