By rdnewsNOW staff

Hopeful hiring expected for Red Deer to start 2019, survey says

Dec 11, 2018 | 8:34 AM

Red Deer area employers expect a hopeful hiring climate for the first quarter of 2019, according to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey.

“Survey data reveals that 21 per cent of employers plan to hire for the upcoming quarter (January to March), while two per cent anticipate cutbacks,” stated Randy Upright, CEO of Manpower’s Alberta Region.

Another 76 per cent of employers plan to maintain their current staffing levels in the upcoming quarter. The remaining one per cent are unsure of their hiring intentions.

“With seasonal variations removed from the data, Red Deer’s first quarter Net Employment Outlook of 16 per cent is a one percentage point decrease when compared to the previous quarterly Outlook,” said Upright. “It is also a seven percentage point increase from the Outlook reported during the same time last year, indicating an upbeat hiring pace for the upcoming months.”

“Canadian job growth slowed during the last quarter of 2018. While the unemployment rate fell to a 40-year low of 5.8%, job growth fell short of expectations in October,” said Darlene Minatel, Country Manager for ManpowerGroup Canada. “Employers are having difficulty finding qualified candidates to fill open jobs, which, in turn, is driving up wages but companies are also trying to do more with less to stay competitive. Employees are being asked to do more work with less pay and an increasing number of employers are investing in automation to perform labour-intensive functions.”

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Slow but steady gains in employment are anticipated by Canadian employers over the next three months.

With seasonal variations removed from the data, the Net Employment Outlook of 12 per cent is a two percentage point decrease compared to the previous quarter and is unchanged compared to the Outlook reported during the same time in 2018.

The survey of over 1,900 employers across Canada reveals that 14 per cent plan to increase their staffing levels in the first quarter of 2019, while six per cent anticipate cutbacks. Of the employers surveyed, 79 per cent expect their current staffing levels to remain unchanged, while the remaining one per cent are unsure of their hiring intentions.

(media release)