Canada's employers are going into the summer a little more willing to bring in new hires than they were three months ago, according to a quarterly hiring outlook released Tuesday.
Manpower's survey of more than 1,900 employers showed that 26% are planning to add staff between July and September; 4% are anticipating head-count reductions; 68% are expecting no changes; and 2% said they were unsure.
Subtracting those planning to lay off from those intending to hire, and factoring in seasonal factors, Manpower's outlook for the third quarter is a positive score of 16%. That's three points better than the second-quarter survey, and six points higher than a year earlier.
Hiring intentions are strongest in western provinces, where the employment outlook is 19%. Prospects are also good at the other end of the country, with a 17% outlook in Atlantic Canada. The net outlook is 13% in Ontario, and 12% in Quebec.
Mining is again the strongest sector for hiring intentions, with an outlook of 24%. Transportation and public utilities, and public administration also have better-than-average prospects. Education and manufacturing are among the sectors where hiring intentions are weaker than average, according to the Manpower survey.
No margin of error was provided for the results.
