Q3 Jobs Outlook: Low Supply, High Demand

Express Employment Professionals released new survey results showing that 77% of businesses plan to continue hiring in the third quarter of 2019-with especially strong hiring in industrial positions. In the survey, which polled business leaders in North America, 36% of respondents also expect wage growth at their businesses.

Check out the graphs below for the survey results:

While these are positive signs for the economy as a whole, Express franchise owners report some variation among different regions of North America.

Dwight Hahn, an Express franchise owner in Windsor, Connecticut, says he expects the third quarter to be better than the second quarter of 2019, but not as strong as the third quarter of 2018.

Daniel Morgan, an Express franchise owner in Birmingham, Alabama, says third quarters tend to be stronger in his area but he expects this year to be “slightly off” from last year as he sees “a little cooling off in the economy.” Nevertheless, “wages are still going up,” he said. “There are plenty of people for the jobs, but there’s still a skills mismatch.”

But in neighboring Florida, Mike Brady, the west Jacksonville Express franchise owner, sees a different story.

“I expect that we will be busier than in 2018,” he said. “The job market is still hot, and there is still growth from businesses in our community.”

It is still “hard to find skilled labor,” he noted. Automotive technicians, A/C technicians and others “are all seeing a tremendous wage increase, but there are more jobs than people.”

In Grand Rapids, Michigan, Express franchise owner Janis Petrini, expects things to hold steady.

“The unemployment rate can’t really drop any more in our market,” she reported. “I think the biggest shift has been the mindset of the job seeker as they continue to hold all of the power.”

“Despite the predictions of recession we were hearing a year ago, the economy continues to plug along, with new jobs being created, businesses hiring and wages increasing,” said Bill Stoller, CEO of Express. “While there may be some ‘cooler’ spots, our franchise owners-the experts on the ground-continue to see signs of economic strength. Cautious optimism remains the prevailing sentiment-and appropriately so.”

In Canada, business leaders are also experiencing a tight labor market. “We are expecting an increase in hiring compared to Q2 and about as robust as Q3 of last year,” said Colleen Gaudette, an Express franchise owner in Windsor, Ontario. “In our area, there is high demand to fill retail, construction, skilled trades and administration positions.”

In Delta, British Columbia, Express franchise owner Niven Lee is seeing the same trend.

“The labour market continues to be tight, so we expect hiring to increase in Q3 compared to Q2 and increase compared to Q3 2018,” Lee said.

While hiring is also expected to increase in Q3 compared to Q2 in Pickering, Ontario, “we don’t expect hiring to be higher than it was in Q3 of 2018,” according to Express franchise owner Daisy Kaur. “Skilled labour roles continue to be most difficult to fill, as number of workers retiring continues to exceed the number of available or new workers.”

About the Survey

In June of 2019, Express Employment Professionals surveyed 576 business owners, decision makers, and human resource professionals about the overall national hiring trends in the market today and how their business is impacted. Respondents were current and former Express clients.

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