Only nine per cent intend to eliminate positions in first quarter of 2017
Three-quarters (76 per cent) of employers in Canada and the United States plan to hire new workers in the first quarter of 2017 while only nine per cent said they plan to eliminate positions, found a survey by Express Employment Professionals.
One-third plan to make hires in general labour, with 34 per cent of that group planning to create new positions. Twenty-six per cent plan to hire skilled labour, while 20 per cent plan to hire administrative and office clerical staff, found the survey of 1,951 employees.
Overall, the results are a slight improvement from the fourth quarter of 2016, when 72 per cent said they planned to hire, and from the first quarter of 2016, when 69 per cent said they planned to hire.
"These are certainly positive signs. More businesses are planning to hire, and only a fraction are eliminating positions," said Bob Funk, CEO of Express. "It's also encouraging to see so many respondents planning to create new positions. If the new leadership in Washington, D.C., results in positive economic reforms, then I would expect these trends to accelerate.
