The American insurance industry saw an increase in employment with the addition of almost 14,000 jobs in January – but is that type of growth being seen here in Canada?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics recorded 13,900 new jobs for the month of January, according to the latest employment numbers released on February 6.
Although no specific numbers are available for the Canadian insurance sector, there are positive signs that insurance is one of the growth markets for job seekers.
The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey for Q1 of 2015 broke down the hiring intentions of Canadian firms by sector. Employers in Finance, Insurance and Real Estate are expecting the most hiring, and Manufacturing – Non-Durables and Mining are projecting the least.
“We are seeing some cautious, though positive, signs in the labour market in Canada,” said Manpower’s Michelle Dunnill, “with employers expecting a fair hiring pace for the coming quarter.”
The report shows that 11 per cent of Canadian employers plan to hire early in the new year. (73 per cent say that they plan to maintain staff levels, and just 7 per cent are expecting cuts.)
The national survey of 1,900 Canadian employers from across industries indicates some regional variations in hiring activity. In a reversal of recent trends that seen much of the job growth happening in the West, employers in Atlantic Canada are expecting the most robust hiring for the coming quarter, with 14 per cent expecting to increase staff. (continued.)
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The U.S. insurance industry grew by 0.55 percent in January and now sits at roughly 2.52 million employed insurance workers. Over the past 12 months, the total number of employed insurance workers has increased by 3.86 percent from 2.42 million in January 2014.
The finance and insurance sector as a whole saw an increase in employment with the addition of 22,400 jobs for the month of January, with the majority of job increases happening within the insurance carriers and related activities subsector.
