By rdnewsNOW staff

Job prospects?

Few Red Deer employers expect to be hiring to start 2020: Report

Dec 10, 2019 | 2:25 PM

Red Deer area employers expect a downbeat hiring climate for the first quarter of 2020.

According to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey, eight per cent of local employers plan to hire for the upcoming quarter, while five per cent anticipate cutbacks.

The remaining 87 per cent of employers plan to maintain their current staffing levels in the upcoming quarter.

“With seasonal variations removed from the data, Red Deer’s first quarter Net Employment Outlook of -3% is a 15 percentage point decrease when compared to the previous quarterly Outlook,” said Randy Upright, CEO of Manpower’s Alberta Region. “It is also a 17 percentage point decrease from the Outlook reported during the same time last year, indicating a pessimistic hiring pace for the upcoming months.”

Prospects prospects for Canadian job seekers to start 2020, while still positive, are tightening.

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“Despite the slight decline in the national employment outlook, unemployment remains low in Canada and wages continue to rise. Clearly, it’s still a job seeker’s market,” said Darlene Minatel, Country Manager of ManpowerGroup Canada. “Employers are also grappling with widening skills gaps and are hard pressed to find bilingual talent and those in the skilled trades. Job seekers would be well advised to seek training in these areas, while employers might consider upskilling and bridging programs to close the gap.”

Employers in the Manufacturing — Durables sector report the strongest job prospects, ManpowerGroup says, and job creators in the Quebec region are forecasting the strongest Outlook of the four regions in Canada.