Ray and Prime Minister Stephen Harper discuss some of the strengths and challenges facing Saskatchewan in the current economic climate.

Regina Leader-Post (March 11, 2009)

Regina area employers report a positive hiring climate for the second quarter, according to the latest Manpower Inc. employment outlook survey released Tuesday.

The quarterly survey shows that 20 per cent of employers plan to hire during the April to June period, while three per cent expect to reduce their workforce. Another 77 per cent of Regina employers intend to maintain their staffing levels for the upcoming quarter, the survey said.

"Regina's second-quarter net employment outlook of 17 per cent is an increase from the same time last year, when the net employment outlook was 10 per cent," said Donna Fergusson of Manpower's Regina office.

Net employment outlook is the difference between the percentage of employers intending to hire and the percentage of employers intending to reduce employment.

Fergusson noted Regina's second-quarter hiring outlook represents a 17-percentage-point decrease from the first quarter. "Despite this decline, the hiring climate remains upbeat for the second quarter of 2009," she said.

From a national perspective, job markets in Atlantic Canada and the West are expected to be stronger than in Central Canada.

There's a positive outlook of 19 per cent (not seasonally adjusted) for the Atlantic, eight per cent for the West, three per cent for Quebec and one per cent for Ontario. Atlantic Canada is expected to see strong demand for hiring in the sectors of construction and the manufacturing of durable goods.

That's in contrast to Ontario, where the outlook for hiring in durables manufacturing is described as "gloomy," though prospects in the province for public administration are "particularly upbeat."

The West is expected to see employment gains across the board, particularly in the areas of services and public administration. Quebec employers in the construction and mining sectors are most upbeat about hiring intentions, and those involved in the manufacturing of durables are most pessimistic.

The Manpower survey indicates employers in the sectors of services, public administration and construction are most likely to add staff in the coming quarter, though all these sectors' outlooks are all reduced from the previous quarter.

The manufacturing sectors for durable and non-durable goods are the weakest areas.

The latest Manpower job outlook is based on survey of about 1,900 private- and public-sector employers between Jan. 15 and 28. The figures are considered accurate within 2.2 percentage points.