Despite economic uncertainty across the globe, Canadian employers have added more than 250,000 jobs over the last 12 months, and the trend is expected to continue through to the end of the year.
A survey by CareerBuilder.ca finds that 48% of hiring managers say they are planning on hiring new permanent, full-time employees in the second half of 2013. That’s an increase of eight percentage points from this time last year.
“Canada’s job market continues to show growth in a variety of industries and is resulting in an unemployment rate that continues to trend down,” says Brent Rasmussen, president of CareerBuilder North America.
Employers also plan to hire other types of employees on a part-time (34%) or contract/temporary (42%) basis, as well as interns (25%).
The top functional areas for which businesses plan to hire in the second half directly impact and support revenue and innovation, such as customer service, sales and IT.
As the workforce evolves, so does the need for workers with specialized skill sets. Employers pointed to positions tied to social media, cloud technology, financial regulation, mobile technology, cyber security, health informatics and global relations.
While there may be more job opportunities in the marketplace, most workers plan to stay with their current company. However, 30% say they are likely or very likely to leave their current jobs in the next 12 months.
As the job market continues to strengthen, employers could be faced with more intense competition for in-demand talent.
Forty-eight percent of employers are concerned that top talent will leave their organizations, up four percentage points from this time last year. Three in 10 employers say they lost some of their top talent in the second quarter of 2013.
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