Survey forecasts stagnant hiring climate in Calgary in 1st quarter of 2021

A survey of employers released Tuesday suggests the hiring climate in Calgary will be stagnant for the first three months of the new year.

The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey found that while 15 per cent of employers in the Calgary area plan to hire for the next quarter, 15 per cent expect to make cutbacks.

The remaining 70 per cent of respondents said they'll maintain their current staffing levels.

"With the uncertainty surrounding the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, a moderate hiring outlook for employers in the first quarter of 2021 can be seen as a positive development," said Darlene Minatel, a manager with ManpowerGroup Canada, in a release.

"With nine of the 10 industry sectors expecting to add workers in the upcoming quarter, there will be opportunities for job seekers."

She said all four regions of the country have positive employment outlooks for the first quarter of 2021, but it's still challenging for job seekers in Western Canada with a flat employment outlook of just one per cent.

That represents a two percentage point decrease when compared with the group's previous quarterly outlook.

"It is also a one percentage point increase from the outlook reported during the same time last year, indicating a subdued hiring pace for the upcoming months," said Randy Upright, CEO of Manpower's Alberta Region.

Looking at Canada as a whole, the survey found what it calls modest net employment outlook of threeper cent, with 12 per cent of employers forecasting an increase in payrolls, nineper cent expecting a decrease and 74 per cent expecting no change.

Hiring prospects declined by three percentage points in comparison with this time one year ago.

The survey was conducted by interviewing a representative sample of 1,287 employers in Canada.

All survey participants were asked, "How do you anticipate total employment at your location to change in the three months to the end of March 2021 as compared to the current quarter?"