Half of Canadian firms plan to add employees this year: survey

Nearly three quarters of Canadian hiring managers (73%) feel positive about bringing on new staff for the second half of 2023, according to The Harris Poll.

That percentage is up from mid-year surveys in recent years: 69% of firms reported feeling positive about hiring in the second half of 2022, and 65% were feeling positive about the second half of 2021.

Half of the companies surveyed this year (51%) said they plan to increase their employee count by end of year. That compares to 45% in 2022, and just 31% in 2021. Main drivers include increasing volume of work, filling newly created positions and corporate expansion into new categories or markets.

According to the survey, which was commissioned by Okla.-based Express Employment Professionals, 25% of companies plan to reduce their workforce in the second half of the year, while the remainder expect no change in employee count.

Bill Stoller, CEO of Express Employment International, said the upward trend in hiring should be encouraging news for Canadian job seekers. Another recent Express study found that 39% of Canadian workers are actively looking for a new job, while 61% browse job opportunities occasionally.

“Despite challenging global economic conditions, it’s encouraging to see employers are confident enough in their financial situations to bring on additional staff,” Stoller said. “If the pattern holds, the beginning of 2024 will bring about much cause for celebration for both companies and job seekers.”

The Job Insights survey was conducted online within Canada between June 8 and 22 among 507 Canadian hiring decision-makers. The sample data is considered accurate to within 4.6 percentage points using a 95% confidence level.

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