Canadian Companies Struggling to Fill Full-Time Positions

London, ON September 19, 2022 - Canadian companies continue to have difficulty finding qualified employees, especially for full-time positions, according to a new survey from The Harris Poll commissioned by Express Employment Professionals. Most companies (84%) say they plan to hire employees in key job categories before the end of the year, but 40% say they have been unable to fill positions that are currently open. 

Hiring managers mostly plan to hire full-time employees (75%), either hourly (48%) or salaried (39%). Interest in hiring full-time employees has been steadily increasing, up from 69% in the first half of 2021. 

Yet given the current labour shortage, nearly three-quarters of those surveyed (71%) say their company is willing to hire contingent workers (i.e., temporary or contract) to meet business needs. In fact, a quarter of hiring managers (26%) report their company plans to hire seasonal, temporary or contract workers this year. 

The top job categories in which companies plan to hire this year include customer service (26%), general labour (24%), sales (23%), administrative/office clerical (17%) and IT/technology support (15%).

When it comes to job levels, 55% of companies plan to hire for entry-level positions, 45% for mid-level positions, 22% for senior-level positions and 10% for C-suite positions.

"Southwestern Ontario is seeing high demand in a number of industry segments - especially in the manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics sectors" said Michael Elliott, franchise owner of the London and Kitchener/Waterloo Express franchise offices. "The traditional HR approach cannot keep up with the flow of applicants and filling employment gaps within most companies and organizations. Applicants want responses right away and will quickly move on to the next job opportunity if they don't hear back from hiring managers. As a workforce management expert, Express can deliver screened and qualified workers in a timely manner. And we have to scalability to provide high numbers of workers." 

"Today's workers are searching for flexibility and with the severe skilled workers shortage, these assignments allow individuals opportunities to gain experience in various environments," Express Employment International CEO Bill Stoller said. "These shorter working stints can often lead to permanent employment, creating the perfect solution for today's tight labour market."

Survey Methodology

The survey was conducted online within Canada by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals between May 3-23, 2022, among 504 Canadian hiring decision-makers (defined as adults ages 18+ in Canada who are employed full-time or self-employed, work at companies with more than one employee and have full/significant involvement in hiring decisions at their company). Data were weighted where necessary by company size to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.

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About Express Employment Professionals

At Express Employment Professionals, we're in the business of people. From job seekers to client companies, Express helps people thrive and businesses grow. Our international network of franchises offers localized staffing solutions to the communities they serve across the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, employing 586,000 people globally in 2021 and 10 million since its inception. For more information, visit ExpressPros.com/CA.


The London, ON Express office is located at 300 Dundas St and serves the greater London region. Local businesses and applicants are encouraged to visit www.expresspros.com/london or call (519) 672-7620. The Kitchener/Waterloo, ON Express office is located in the Frederick Mall at 385 Frederick St, Unit 3 and serves the greater K/W region. Local businesses and applicants are encouraged to visit www.expresspros.com/kitchener or call (519) 578-9030.
 
About Bill Stoller
William H. "Bill" Stoller is chairman and chief executive officer of Express Employment 
International. Founded in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the international staffing franchisor
supports the Express Employment Professionals franchise and related brands. The Express franchise brand is an industry-leading, international staffing company with franchise locations in the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.