Canadian employers plan to keep strong hiring practices heading into new year, survey says

Canadian employers expect a strong hiring climate to continue into the first quarter of 2022. according to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey.

“As economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Canadian job seekers will see ongoing opportunities across numerous industries this coming quarter,” Darlene Minatel, country manager of ManpowerGroup Canada said in a statement. “Employers are strongly in favour of COVID-19 vaccination for employees, and express openness to remote work for some roles.”

With seasonal variations removed from the data, the Net Employment Outlook for Canada is up 37 per cent, an increase of four per cent from the previous quarterly Outlook Survey and a 32-percentage point increase from the Outlook Survey reported during the same time last year, according to the ManpowerGroup.

The survey results also indicated that employers in all regions of the country and industry sectors surveyed expect to add to payrolls next quarter.

Manpower Group also stated that their research showed 50 per cent of more than 1,000 employers across Canada plan to increase their staffing levels in the first quarter of 2022, while 14 per cent anticipate cutbacks. Meanwhile, 35 per cent of the employers surveyed expect their current staffing levels to remain unchanged. The remaining one per cent reported they are unsure of their hiring intentions.

According to the ManpowerGroup report, 47 per cent of employers surveyed say they will require proof of double vaccination for all employees. Another 10 per cent of employers said they will require proof of double vaccination and a booster, and 15 per cent will require proof of vaccination for some roles, but not all.

Twenty-three per cent said they will urge employee vaccination by highlighting the benefits but not mandate it, and six per cent said they will offer incentives such as cash bonuses to encourage vaccination. Only eight per cent of employers surveyed say they have no plans to introduce a fixed policy on employee vaccination.

The Manpower Group’s survey results also indicate that most employees in production and customer-facing roles will work all or most of the time in the workplace over the next three months. Meanwhile, employees in roles such as IT, finance and accounting, human resources, and administration will work remotely at least some or all of the time.

Survey results indicated the strongest hiring intentions in the IT, technology, telecoms, communications, and media sector by 48 per cent, followed by manufacturing at 44 per cent and banking, finance, insurance and real estate at 43 per cent.