Despite the uncertainty of the pandemic, an employment company is forecasting a “steady hiring climate” for the first three months of 2021.
According to a survey by ManpowerGroup, 15 per cent of Richmond-Delta employers plan to hire for the upcoming quarter, while five per cent anticipate cutbacks.
The remaining 80 per cent of employers plan to keep their staffing levels as-is.
ManpowerGroup surveyed more than 1,200 employers across the country to determine the country’s hiring outlook over the next three months.
While the Richmond-Delta results are a three-per-cent decrease when compared to the previous quarterly outlook, it’s the same percentage as the same period last year, according to ManpowerGroup, indicating “a respectable hiring pace for the upcoming months.”
This hiring pace will be seen across the country, according to the survey, with 12 per cent of employers planning to increase their staffing levels and nine per cent reporting they anticipate cutbacks. The rest of employers surveyed said they expect their staffing levels to remain the same or are unsure.
“With the uncertainty surrounding the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, a moderate hiring outlook for employers can be seen as a positive development,” said Darlene Minatel, country manager of ManpowerGroup Canada, in a statement.
However, the pandemic continues to impact businesses. The survey also found that, Canada-wide, 41 per cent of employers expect to return to pre-COVID-19 hiring levels within the next 12 months, while 26 per cent don’t expect to ever return to pre-pandemic hiring levels.
In Western Canada, the public administration sector is forecasted to be the strongest labour market, along with the transportation and public utilities sector, where employers anticipate an increase of 17 and 8 per cent, respectively.
The survey also suggests that the finance, insurance and real estate sector, and the service sector will face a more troubled hiring climate, with employers expecting a drop of 12 and 4 per cent respectively.
The margin of error for the Canadian survey is +/- 2.7 per cent.
