Recently released results of the U.S. Midyear Job Forecast show that hiring and salaries are on the rise — and for Canada, things are looking pretty sunny, too. Halfway through 2015, many Canadian employers and job seekers are feeling positive about their prospects, according to CareerBuilder.ca’s Midyear Job Forecast. So positive, in fact, that 40 per cent of employers plan to hire full-time, permanent staff over the next six months and 37 per cent plan to hire temporary or contract workers.
The national surveys were conducted online by Redshift Research on behalf of CareerBuilder.ca and included representative samples of 400 hiring managers and human resources managers and 500 full-time, Canadian workers across industries and company sizes.
As Mark Bania, managing director of CareerBuilder Canada, notes: “Despite slower-than-average job growth in the first half of 2015, many Canadian employers continue to add jobs. Employers are practicing cautious optimism. While they may not be hiring at the pace they have in previous years, they are continuing to add headcount in several areas in order to remain competitive in a slower market.”
- STARTING SALARIES ARE STARTING TO HEAT UP.
Nearly half of employers (47 per cent) expect to increase salary levels for current employees in the second half of the year. Around 1 in 5 will increase salary levels by 5 per cent or more. Twenty-nine per cent plan to increase starting salaries on job offers over the next 6 months. Around 1 in 8 employers will raise starting salaries by 5 per cent or more.
- CUSTOMER SERVICE IS SIZZLING.
The top functional areas where employers will be adding jobs in the second half of 2015 include customer service (30 per cent of hiring managers say they plan on hiring in this area), followed by sales (20 per cent), production (19 per cent), information technology (12 per cent), accounting/finance (12 per cent), marketing (11 per cent), and human resources (10 per cent).
- EMPLOYEES ARE LOOKING FOR A PLACE IN THE SUN.
1 in 5 workers (22 per cent) plan to change jobs in the next 12 months. When it comes to the jobs they may be seeking, some of the most in-demand areas employers will be recruiting for include those tied to social media, wellness, mobile technology, search or cloud technology; cyber security; content strategy for the Web social media; the environment; managing and interpreting big data; and financial regulation.
other midyear staffing & recruiting highlights
From a busy summer to an even busier fall, here are more of the trends, insight and research that CareerBuilder is watching in Q3:
The Pulse of Staffing and Recruiting in Q3 2015
A Closer Look at Candidate Behaviour
Upgrading Your Employment Brand—and Your Technology
An Interview with Jeff Bowling, CEO of The Delta Companies: Offering Service vs. Creating Experience
Canadian Staffing Index Update- The Canadian Staffing Index was 101 in May, down 6% from oe year prior. Read more here: http://acsess.org/staffing/overview
Canadian Unemployment rate- Employment increased by 59,000 in May, driven by gains in the number of private sector employees. The number of people participating in the labour market also rose in May, leaving the unemployment rate unchanged at 6.8% for the fourth consecutive month. Read more here: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/150605/dq150605a-eng.htm