Half of Companies Plan to Increase Number of Employees
Canadian companies are entering 2025 with a positive hiring outlook, according to a new Express Employment Professionals-Harris Poll survey.
Almost three-quarters of companies (71%) feel positive about their hiring outlook over the coming year, with 39% feeling optimistic, 36% feeling confident, and 35% feeling hopeful. This is in line with the first half of 2024, when 70% of companies felt positive about their hiring outlook.
In addition, half of Canadian companies (51%) report plans to increase their employee count in the first half of 2025, while 41% plan to keep their headcount the same, and only 8% plan to decrease their workforce. This is also very similar to the first half of 2024 (49% planned to increase their employee count).
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The primary drivers for increasing headcount include managing increased volumes of work (58%), filling newly created positions (45%), addressing employee turnover (38%), getting expertise in new areas (26%), and handling expansion into other categories or markets (26%).
Interestingly, while these drivers remain similar to last year, there has been a significant rise in the number of companies who are increasing their employee count to manage work caused by artificial intelligence (AI) concerns, from 10% in the first half of 2024 to 18% now.
Optimism Balanced with Persistent Challenges
“There is a lot of optimism in the market going into 2025,” according to Brent Pollington, an Express franchise owner in Vancouver, British Columbia. “The positive outlook seems to stem from a combination of factors including market conditions, perceptions of continued growth, and the potential for lowering interest rates, among other things.”
While businesses are optimistic, Pollington points out they are still facing persistent hiring challenges, particularly increased costs of hiring and skills shortages.
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“The cost per employee for businesses has drastically increased,” said Pollington. “Worker expectations, market factors, minimum wage hikes, increased demands for benefits and perks, retention strategies, turnover costs, and the time and resources needed to train new employees have all driven these costs higher.”
“Companies are also dealing with the lack of skilled workers in the market which has forced them to focus more on training and development, as well as long-term succession planning,” added Pollington. “Employers are spending significant time and energy solving these issues.”
“The positive sentiments among hiring managers highlight a resilient and forward-thinking workforce,” said Bill Stoller, Express Employment International CEO. “Businesses are strategically positioning themselves for growth, addressing immediate needs like increased workloads and turnover, while also preparing for future challenges such as AI and cybersecurity. The outlook for 2025 is promising, driven by a workforce ready to innovate and adapt.”
Survey Methodology
The Job Insights survey was conducted online within Canada by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals between November 11 – November 26, 2024, among 505 Canadian hiring decision-makers.
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Source – GlobeNewswire
