Dim hiring climate predicted

Niagara-area employers expect a dim hiring climate for the third quarter of 2020, according to the latest Manpowergroup Employment Outlook Survey.

The survey data indicated only 10 per cent of employers in St. Catharines, for example, plan to hire for the upcoming quarter, while 29 per cent anticipate cutbacks. Another 48 per cent plan to maintain current staffing levels in the upcoming quarter, while the remaining 13 per cent of employers are unsure of their hiring intentions, said Natasha Djukic, of Manpower’s St. Catharines office.

With seasonal variations removed from the data, she said St. Catharines’ third quarter net employment outlook of -16 per cent is a 19 percentage point decrease when compared to the previous quarterly outlook.

“It is also a 35 percentage point decrease from the outlook reported during the same time last year, indicating a gloomy hiring pace for the upcoming months,” Djukic added.

She said the outlook is similar for Niagara Falls and Welland. Despite this, 59 per cent of employers in Niagara expect to return to PRE-COVID-19 hiring levels within the next 12 months, with the majority anticipating to resume within the next three to six months.

The international hiring agency surveyed more than 1,000 employers from across the country for its latest survey.

Nationally, only 12 per cent of employers plan to increase their staffing levels in the third quarter, while 17 per cent anticipate cutbacks.

“A dim hiring outlook is not unexpected, given the economic lockdowns in the wake of the COVID-19 health emergency,” said Darlene Minatel, country manager of Manpowergroup Canada.

More than 70 per cent of organizations surveyed said normal business activity was halted or suspended by the outbreak.