Canadian employers expect a fair hiring climate for the second quarter of 2010, with nearly one-fifth planning to increase their payrolls, according to the latest results of the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.

Of 1,900 Canadian employers surveyed by staffing services firm Manpower Canada, 6% anticipated reducing the size of their workforce in the second quarter, and about three-quarters said they expected to stay the course. Two per cent said they are unsure of their hiring intentions for the upcoming quarter.

The survey rates the net employment outlook at 7%, which indicates that employers anticipate a “modest” hiring climate for the upcoming quarter, according to Manpower. This forecast represents a drop of three percentage points from the previous quarter, but the outlook has increased by six percentage points from the same time last year.

“This quarter’s Net Employment Outlook indicates that the hopeful hiring climate reported in the previous quarter will continue to improve in the second quarter of 2010,” said Byrne Luft, vice-president of marketing for Manpower Canada. “Employers who intend to hire are telling us that they plan to hire at a moderately stronger pace than during the same time last year and that’s good news. But most – three in four – are telling us they will make no changes to their payrolls in the quarter ahead indicating added stability in the labour market.”

Of the 10 surveyed industry sectors, employers in the education and mining industry sectors report the most favourable results for the second quarter of 2010 with projected Net Employment Outlooks of 15%.

Finance, insurance and real estate industry sector employers are less optimistic. Employers in this sector report a Net Employment Outlook of 8% for the second quarter, down from 16% in the previous quarter. However, the forecast represents an improvement from the flat hiring pace reported by employers during the same time last year.