Canadian workers can take a collective sigh of relief. According to a survey by Right Management, only 9% of employers anticipate making significant cutbacks or restructurings in the coming year, and 86% expect to make almost none.
The survey questioned senior executives from nearly 200 firms across Canada representing government, non-profit, public and private organizations, and asked what they expect for the year ahead.
“Layoffs had already begun to decline during 2011, a development most employers saw coming a year ago,” said Bram Lowsky, group executive vice-president of the Americas for Right Management. “A year ago, 52% of employers in North America predicted virtually no restructurings in 2011. Nevertheless, lean staffing is now the norm at most organizations.”
Asked about expected hiring in 2012, respondents were slightly optimistic, with 19% predicting stepped-up hiring in order to drive strategic growth, 59% predicting nominal hiring on an as-needed basis and 22% predicting more hiring in order to fill existing gaps in their organizations.
According to Lowsky, organizational staffing trends will mirror overall Canadian economic trends. “We’ll see employers push growth, but with fewer resources, trying to make do with what they have. This will continue to be a pressurized workplace, and management has to take into account the stress all this creates. Organizations will need to be effective with their talent strategies to nurture employee engagement, productivity and performance with their streamlined workforces.”