Canadian employers report cautiously optimistic hiring plans for the final quarter of 2018, according to the fourth-quarter Employment Outlook Survey released today by ManpowerGroup Inc. (NYSE: MAN). Hiring prospects remain relatively stable when compared with the previous quarter, up one percentage point, and increased by four percentage points from the Q4 2017 forecast.

The Canada survey found 16% of employers expect to increase staffing levels in the upcoming quarter — up from 12% in the fourth quarter of 2017 — and 6% anticipate cutbacks. This results in a net employment outlook of 14% on a seasonally adjusted basis, compared to 10% for the year-ago quarter.

Canadian organizations across all 10 industry sectors plan to add staff in the fourth quarter.

Employers in the public administration sector report the strongest hiring plans, with a net employment outlook of 19%. Outlooks for the manufacturing-durables sector and the transportation and public utilities sector are also strong, at 18% and 15%, respectively. On the flip side, wholesale and retail trade sector employers reported the weakest of the sector forecasts at 7%.

When compared with the fourth quarter of 2017, employers in eight of the 10 industry sectors report stronger hiring prospects; a considerable increase of 11 percentage points is reported for the education sector.

Regionally, employers in Quebec expect the most favorable hiring climate for the coming quarter, reporting a net employment outlook of 18%. Employers in Ontario and Western Canada anticipate an upbeat hiring pace with outlooks of 13% and 12%, respectively. Employers in Atlantic Canada reported a conservative hiring climate, with an outlook of 9%.

ManpowerGroup’s employment outlook survey data include responses from 1,925 Canadian employers.