SYDNEY, N.S. — Cape Breton-area employers expect a moderate hiring climate for the fourth quarter of 2020, according to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey.
The survey data shows that 10 per cent of employers plan to hire for the upcoming quarter, and 16 per cent expect cutbacks. Another 68 per cent of employers plan to keep their current staffing levels in the upcoming quarter, while the remaining six per cent of employers are unsure of their hiring intentions, according to the survey.
“With seasonal variations removed from the data, Cape Breton’s fourth quarter net employment outlook of plus-8 per cent is a one percentage point increase when compared to the previous quarterly outlook,” said Hailey Coleman of Manpower’s Halifax office, in a press release.
“It is also a four-percentage-point increase from the outlook reported during the same time last year, indicating a modest hiring pace for the upcoming months.”
The same report shows Atlantic Canada employers anticipating limited workforce gains during the final quarter of 2020, reporting a Net Employment Outlook of plus-four per cent. Hiring intentions improve by five percentage points quarter-over-quarter, but decline by eight percentage points when compared with this time one year ago.
Workforce gains are anticipated in nine of the 10 industry sectors during the October to December time frame, with the strongest hiring prospects in the manufacturing — non-durables sector, where employers report a net employment outlook of plus-18 per cent. Steady payroll gains are also forecast in the public administration sector and the finance, insurance and real estate sector.
The manufacturing — durables sector outlook stands at plus-10 per cent, and some job gains are expected in the transportation and public utilities sector, where the outlook is plus-nine per cent.
Mining sector employers forecast a decline in payrolls, reporting an outlook of minus-9 per cent.
Across the country, the survey shows modest hiring intentions but improvement in the outlook for the fourth quarter when compared to the previous quarter.
“A real benefit for job seekers is that eight of the 10 industry sectors are expecting to add workers in the upcoming quarter with the exceptions being the education and mining sectors,” said Darlene Minatel, country manager of ManpowerGroup Canada.
“With three of the four regions of the country having positive employment outlooks for Q-4, employment prospects for job seekers appear to be on the upswing.”
