Recruitment picks up pace in April: Report

More employers were looking to hire employees in April, indicating real employment rates will continue to improve in May and June, according to a report.

CareerAIM.com's monthly report on job postings found the number of new Canadian job postings increased by 1.9 per cent in April. There were 200,924 job postings last month, compared to 197,226 in March.

The year-over-year results also continued to improve, up 2.9 percentage points from 12.4 per cent in March to 15.3 per cent in April. Five of the last six months have shown improvement year-over-year.

There were, however, significant differences between provinces.

On a month-to-month basis, Prince Edward Island (43.1 per cent), Newfoundland and Labrador (19.8 per cent) and Nova Scotia (14.7 per cent) saw the biggest improvements in job postings.

However, the number of job postings dropped slightly in Saskatchewan (down 1.2 per cent), Alberta (down one per cent) and Quebec (down 0.9 per cent). (See tables.)

Alberta

While the number of new Alberta job postings dropped slightly in April, down one per cent from March, there are significantly more new job advertisements than at this time last year (an 18.6-per-cent increase).

British Columbia

In British Columbia the number of new job advertisements jumped 13.8 per cent in April. For the first time in 16 months, the province is now in positive year-over-year territory — 3.2 per cent above April 2009. This is due to steady improvements in job posting rates over the last six month and to job postings declining during the same period in 2009 as the recession took its toll on the province.

Manitoba

Manitoba saw a 9.4-per-cent improvement in the rate of new job postings from March to April. The year-over-year rate also moved into positive territory — seven per cent above April 2009.

New Brunswick

In New Brunswick the number of new job advertisements increased 14.6 per cent in April. However, the year-over-year rate dropped 4.1 per cent from 2009. In February, the year-over-year rate of job postings moved into positive territory for the first time in more than one year but gave up some ground in March and April.

Newfoundland and Labrador

In Newfoundland and Labrador the number of new job advertisements jumped 19.8 per cent in April. However, the year-over-year rate dropped 9.7 per cent.

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia saw positive indications for future hiring in April with the number of new job advertisements jumping 14.7 per cent. However, despite positive movement, the year-over-year rate remains below the 2009 level 8.8 per cent.

Ontario

The Ontario year-over-year rate of job postings increased by 33.9 per cent in april 2010 even though the month-to-month results were essentially unchanged, up just 0.8 per cent from March.

Prince Edward Island

In Prince Edward the number of new job advertisements soared 43.6 per cent in April. This is a very positive indicator for new jobs in the province over the next few months. The year-over-year rate of job postings was also improved sharply, up 36.4 per cent from last year.

Quebec

In Quebec a pattern of steady growth that started in December slowed in April. April month-to-month results were essentially unchanged, down 0.9 per cent from March. However, the year-over-year rate was still up 9.3 per cent.

Saskatchewan

The Saskatchewan year-over-year rate of job postings was essentially unchanged, down just 0.2 per cent from 2009. The month-to-month rate of job postings was also off slightly, down 1.2 per cent.

Month-over-month change in job postings

Year-over-year change in job postings