HR Insider Readers Job Trends from 2013

More HR Insider readers reported an increase in their workforce in 2013

January 2014 provided us with some apparently ugly job data, at least for Central Canada. According to stats Canada, 45,900 jobs were lost in December, the biggest single job loss month since 2009. This pushed the unemployment rate across Canada from 6.9% back up to 7.2%

However, some of these job losses were seasonal jobs such as agriculture and construction and many in the manufacturing base in Ontario (which had been seeing some gains, at least temporarily) and Quebec. While these numbers dragged down the Canadian employment rate as a whole at the end of 2013, they were primarily felt in Ontario and Quebec. Across the western part of Canada, B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the unemployment rate was closer to traditional numbers at around 6.2%.

These Stats Canada employment numbers represent aggregate data from across the country. At the beginning of this year, we asked HR insider readers about their employment numbers for 2013, and this is what you told us.

“With reference to 2013 as compared to 2012, what happened to the size of your organization’s workforce (FTE’s full-time equivalents)?”

1. Generally seen no overall changes
2. Marginal increases in the number of employees
3. Marginal decreases in the number of employees
4. Solid gains in the number of employees
5. Strong losses in the number of employees

More Gains than Losses

22% of HR Insider readers reported no changes in their workforce over the past year, while 23% reported losses. That means that 45% or readers reported losses or no gains. On the positive side of the ledger 55% of HR insider readers reported increases in their workforce in the past year.

If we compare only gains to losses we see an interesting picture. While this data does not provide us with insights into the total number of employees gained or lost by our readers the selection of ‘Solid Gains’ did beat out the selection of ‘Solid losses’ by almost 2 to 1 and “Marginal Increases’ topped ‘Marginal Losses’ by 3 to 1. Overall, the 55% gains did double the 23% of losses.

Since the start of the 2008 recession, relative stability of employment data in Western Canada has been overshadowed by losses in Central Canada. This remains to be the case.  Shifting demands will continue to mean shifting labour needs and both employers and employees will benefit from preparing for this trend by understanding what skills will be needed in this dynamic economy.