Canada's mining sector is set for a hiring spree in the coming quarter, making it the most upbeat sector in the country as other employers remain cautious.
Across all industries, one in five employers expect to boost their payrolls in the April-to-June period, according to a Manpower Inc. survey released Tuesday. Almost three-quarters, or 73 per cent, expect no change in staffing levels while 5 per cent are planning cutbacks - responses that are little changed from the prior quarter.
It's a different story for mining, where second-quarter hiring intentions are by far the strongest, and where the outlook also jumped the most in the quarter. Among miners, which include energy and mineral extraction firms, 29 per cent of respondents plan to add staff. Regionally, hiring is most upbeat in the West.
"The national mood is cautiously optimistic," said Catherine Lyons-Bozzo, Manpower's national account executive. In mining however, "it's all systems go."
Given surging prices for commodities such as oil, gold and copper and robust demand for potash, Ms. Lyons-Bozzo expects migration to start flowing west again as companies ramp up, with labour shortages becoming more acute in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc., for example, said last month it plans to hire 512 people for its mines.
Urban employers are most optimistic in Saskatoon, Regina and Quebec City, and least positive in Granby, Que., Belleville, Ont., and St. John's.
Employers' hiring plans depend on a number of factors, Ms. Lyons-Bozzo said - from the Canadian dollar, whose high level is slamming manufacturers, to changes in interest rates and whether government stimulus will continue. Details on government spending plans will be unveiled in the coming weeks, when the federal government and provinces release their budgets.
Services, along with transportation and public utilities, are the next most-positive sectors, the quarterly employment outlook poll found. Education is the least positive, reflecting the number of people leaving school who want to re-enter the work force, she said.
The results are roughly on par with the previous quarter and an improvement over this time last year. Manpower's seasonally adjusted net employment outlook is 13 per cent, the same as the prior quarter and higher than the 8 per cent recorded in the same quarter last year.
The Manpower survey is based on answers from more than 1,900 Canadian employers.
The quarterly poll is also conducted around the world. Global results show employers in India, Taiwan and China have the rosiest employment outlook. Greek, Spanish and Irish employers are the most pessimistic about hiring.
The report comes as Canada's labour force survey, due Friday, is expected to show the jobless rate dropped to 7.7 per cent from 7.8 per cent last month, with about 25,000 new jobs created. Mining has already tallied one of the biggest percentage increases among sectors over the past year.
Tavia Grant