Layoffs expected at 10% of York Region businesses; survey

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 12, 2017
By Lisa Queen

Pink slips will be handed out at some York Region businesses this fall amid an anticipated disappointing hiring climate, according to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey.

While only three per cent of York employers plan to hire workers from October to December, 10 per cent expect to lay off staff, said spokesperson Maple Kyriacou of Manpower's Markham office.

Another 87 per cent of employers expect to keep their current staffing levels.

Once seasonal variations in staffing levels are accounted for, the region's employment outlook is a 20-percentage point decrease compared to the previous quarter, Kyriacou said.

"It is also a decrease of 11 percentage points from the outlook reported during the same time last year, indicating a weak hiring pace for the upcoming months," she said in a statement.

York's anticipated hiring climate is even more disappointing since a general trend of modest growth is predicted nationally, Darlene Minatel, vice-president of Manpower Canada operations and strategic accounts, said.

"Most of the hiring activity is expected to focus on Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia; however, there are still some bright spots in the rest of Canada, led by an anticipated moderate uplift in the oil and gas sector," she added.