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DESPITE THE OBVIOUS GAINS TO BE MADE, THE RESEARCH SHOWS
THAT SMALL BUSINESSES ARE NOT DOING AS MUCH AS THEY COULD
TO ATTRACT, RECRUIT AND SUPPORT WORKERS OF DIVERSE AGES.
believe that training older employees is a good return on their in-vestment,
there are other areas where they need to improve their
offering to ensure that they can support more mature employees.
The survey shows that employing an age diverse workforce is
not without its challenges. The top three potential sources of dis-cord
highlighted by the small businesses surveyed were perceived
misunderstandings between different age groups, age stereotyp-ing
and a lack of shared interests. Similarly, when it comes to
employing more mature workers, almost half of SMEs believe
that young managers struggle to oversee them.
CANADIAN CFOS SAY THEIR COMPANIES WILL
HIRE FOR NEW POSITIONS IN THE NEXT SIX
MONTHS
Twenty-three per cent of Canadian chief financial officers (CFOs)
report their companies will be creating new jobs in the next six
months, according to the Canadian Professional Employment
Forecast from Robert Half.
Fifty-five per cent of finance executives said they will be main-taining
personnel levels, adding staff only to fill vacated positions.
Fifteen per cent of respondents will not be hiring, even to fill an
open position, and five per cent plan to reduce staff levels.
The Professional Employment Forecast was developed by
Robert Half, the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm,
and conducted by an independent research firm. The local results
are based on interviews with 270 CFOs from a stratified random
sample of Canadian companies.
“Executives have a positive outlook for their companies’
growth prospects and are looking to expand their teams,” said
Greg Scileppi, president of Robert Half, International Staffing
Operations. “Demand for professional-level candidates is expected
to continue outpacing the supply for talent, however, as challeng-es
filling positions with applicants who possess the necessary skills
persist.”
Scileppi says that as a result of the increased demand for tal-ent,
companies need to look at more creative ways of attracting
candidates. “Every day we see organizations reviewing their overall
hiring strategies, including compensation and working arrange-ments,
to ensure they remain competitive.”
RECRUITING CHALLENGES
The survey results suggest organizations looking to expand and
add staff may face difficulties. The majority of CFOs surveyed said
it is at least somewhat challenging to find skilled candidates for
professional-level positions today.
BUSINESS CONFIDENCE
Executives are optimistic about their business prospects. More
than eight in 10 CFOs expressed confidence in their company’s
growth potential for the next six months, with 42 per cent of re-spondents
saying they are very confident.
SPOTLIGHT ON SALARY NEGOTIATIONS
In another sign the job market is heating up, many employers ap-pear
to be negotiating more frequently with top job candidates.
Thirty-three per cent of respondents said they’re more willing to
negotiate salaries than they were 12 months ago, compared to just
10 per cent who are less willing. ■
Employment and Labour Lawyers
Do you know your obligations when an
employee has a mental health disability?
The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario recently unveiled
its new policy on discrimination due to mental health.
See what you need to know about the new
policy in our blog:
www.somlaw.ca
Shields O’Donnell MacKillop llp
416.304.6400
65 Queen Street West, Suite 1800
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5H 2M5
HRPATODAY.CA ❚ NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ❚ 11
