While there will be job stability for the employed, those looking for work in the London area may have a hard time finding a job over the next few months.
According to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey, only three per cent of local employers plan to hire during the second quarter of the year, while another 93 per cent intend to maintain their current staffing levels.
The remaining four per cent were unsure of their hiring intentions.
"With seasonal variations removed from the data, London’s second-quarter Net Employment Outlook of +5 per cent is a two percentage point increase when compared to the previous quarterly Outlook,” ManpowerGroup’s London area spokesperson Heather Irvine said in a statement issued Tuesday. “It is also a seven percentage point decrease from the Outlook reported during the same time last year, indicating a limited hiring pace for the upcoming months."
Nationally, the outlook is a little better with 14 per cent of employers planning to hire between April and June, while three per cent anticipate cutbacks, according to the national employment agency. The survey also indicated staffing levels will remain unchanged for 82 per cent of employers, and the remaining one per cent were unsure of their hiring intentions.
“Though we can expect rigorous hiring activity in many regions, most Canadian employers are keeping their plans modest, partly due to persistent skills shortages,” said Darlene Minatel, country manager for ManpowerGroup. “The lack of available talent, especially in manufacturing, construction, and the skilled trades, is leading employers to invest more heavily in their current workforce, bridging staff into open roles and redesigning the employee experience to improve retention.”
Sectors expected to add the staff in the second quarter of the year include public administration, construction, manufacturing, mining, and transportation.
However, ManpowerGroup notes the three-week survey of more than 1,900 employers across Canada was conducted before the global escalation of COVID-19, the effects of which could negatively change hiring intentions throughout the second quarter.
