A recent survey reports that fewer Ottawa employers plan to hire staff between April and June this year. Only 20 per cent of businesses are planning on hiring, a one-percentage point drop from the same period last year.
An employment agency, Manpower, conducted the survey of 1,900 employers across Canada. Five per cent of employers expect to make cutbacks to their payroll, while 75 per cent plan on maintaining their current staffing level.
Megan Prikker, Ottawa branch manager for Manpower, remains positive.
“There is a decrease from the same period last year,” she says, “although overall it’s a stable, steady, hiring pace here in Ottawa for the upcoming month.”
Manpower surveyed both public and private employers, but the number of individual Ottawa businesses that took part is not available.
Last year, 11,000 jobs in the public service were cut over a six-month period. Lack of employment in the public service is detrimental to businesses surrounding government buildings, according to one business watcher.
“Our businesses are impacted a great deal,” says Lori Mellor, the executive director of the Preston Street BIA.
“The federal government and the provincial government buildings are in our business district,” she says. “So when there are cuts to the public service it has an immediate effect on our businesses."
Some Centretown businesses are feeling the pressure.
“I have not employed anyone recently and don’t plan on it,” says Reza Ghaffari, manager of Canada’s Four Corners, an arts and craft store on Sparks Street.
“The employees that I have right now, I have had all of them since last summer. Last summer seemed better as I employed four new people, and I will be holding on to them,” Ghaffari says, adding that most of his staff are students and will turn into full-time employees for the summer.
“I believe that retail in general is on a holding pattern and not on a growth or employment pattern right now so I don’t intend to buck that pattern for now,” he says.