London employers expecting moderate hiring climate for second quarter: survey

London-area employers are expecting a moderate hiring climate for the second quarter of 2017.

The latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook survey reveals 10 per cent of employers plan to hire for the upcoming quarter, which runs from April to June, while seven per cent anticipate cutbacks.

Another 83 per cent of employers plan to maintain their current staffing levels in the upcoming quarter.

“With seasonal variations removed from the data, London’s second-quarter net employment outlook of seven per cent is a three percentage point decrease when compared to the previous quarterly outlook,” said Nikki Sharpley of Manpower’s London office in a media release.

“It is also a decrease of five percentage points from the outlook reported during the same time last year, indicating a fair hiring pace for the upcoming months.”

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The survey comes less than a week after Statistics Canada revealed the latest unemployment numbers for London-St. Thomas. The jobless rate fell to 6.2 per cent last month, its lowest level in about a year.

“Nationally, the second quarter of 2017 is expected to see modest gains for Canadian job seekers,” said Darlene Minatel, vice president, Manpower Canada Operations & Strategic Accounts in the release. “Many companies, especially in the manufacturing sector, are taking a cautious approach until they see what effect political changes in the United States will have on the Canadian economy.”