London is expected to see job stability and a bit of a hiring surge in the first three months of the new year.
According to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey, 13 per cent of employers plan to hire during the first quarter of 2019. Another 80 per cent intend to maintain current staffing levels, while three per cent expect to cut back.
The remaining four per cent were unsure of their hiring intentions.
“With seasonal variations removed from the data, London’s first quarter Net Employment Outlook of 12 per cent is a one percentage point increase when compared to the previous quarterly Outlook,” said Tara Benson, ManpowerGroup’s area manager for central and southwestern Ontario. “It is also a five percentage point decrease from the Outlook reported during the same time last year, indicating a mild hiring pace for the upcoming months.”
Nationally, 14 per cent of employers plan to increase their staffing levels between January and March, while six per cent anticipate cutbacks, said the national employment agency. The survey also indicated 79 per cent of employers expect their current staffing levels will remain unchanged, and the remaining one per cent were unsure of their hiring intentions.
The transportation and public utilities sector is expected to lead the hiring with 21 per cent of business hiring. That is a six percentage point increase from last quarter's reported forecast. Growth is also anticipated in the construction, public administration, manufacturing, and education sectors.
Over 1,900 employers across Canada participated in the survey.