The hiring climate for Calgary area employers is being described as “stagnant” heading into the fourth quarter of this year while for the Edmonton area it’s considered to be “moderate.”
That’s the analysis released Tuesday by Manpower Alberta in its regular Employment Outlook Survey.
Randy Upright
“Survey data reveals that 10 per cent of employers (in Calgary) plan to hire for the upcoming quarter, while eight per cent anticipate cutbacks,” said Randy Upright, CEO of Manpower’s Alberta Region, in a news release. “The remaining 82 per cent of employers plan to maintain their current staffing levels in the upcoming quarter.
“With seasonal variations removed from the data, Calgary’s third quarter Net Employment Outlook of plus two per cent is a two percentage point decrease when compared to the previous quarterly Outlook. It is also a four percentage point increase from the Outlook reported during the same time last year, indicating a slow hiring pace for the upcoming months.”
Upright said that in the Edmonton region survey data reveals that 14 per cent of employers plan to hire for the upcoming quarter, while nine per cent anticipate cutbacks.
“Another 76 per cent of employers plan to maintain their current staffing levels in the upcoming quarter, while the remaining one per cent of employers are unsure of their hiring intentions,” said Upright.
“With seasonal variations removed from the data, Edmonton’s third quarter Net Employment Outlook of plus seven per cent is a one percentage point increase when compared to the previous quarterly Outlook. It is also a four percentage point decrease from the Outlook reported during the same time last year, indicating a modest hiring pace for the upcoming months.”
Nationally, the Net Employment Outlook of plus 12 per cent is unchanged compared to the previous quarter and is relatively stable compared with a decrease of one percentage point compared to the Outlook reported during the same time last year, said Manpower.
The survey said that 15 per cent of employers plan to increase their staffing levels in the fourth quarter of 2019, while six per cent anticipate cutbacks. Meanwhile, 78 per cent of the employers surveyed expect their current staffing levels to remain unchanged, while the remaining one per cent are unsure of their hiring intentions. Employers in all 10 industry sectors in all four regions of the country expect to add to payrolls this quarter.
“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 centred around four universities, the province is making up for lost time and creating more jobs.”
The views, opinions and positions expressed by columnists and contributors are the author’s alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of our publication.
