Is the Holiday Hiring Freeze Real?

Suppose you’re looking for a new job or looking to fill a position. In that case, chances are you’ve heard about the holiday hiring freeze- that period from November to December when companies supposedly stop hiring, and job applicants dry up. It seems as if both sides, those looking to hire and those looking for jobs, buy into the myth of the holiday hiring freeze. This has resulted in it becoming something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. So, is it even worth it for businesses and jobseekers to look during the holiday season? Here’s what our staffing experts at Nova Staffing have to say about it.

 

Slowdown, Not a Freeze

We often get companies and applicants reaching out to us around this time asking, is the holiday hiring freeze real? And the answer is sort of. The truth is that there is a seasonal slowdown, but it’s not an outright freeze. Career coaches and companies have been told about the holiday hiring freeze for decades to the point that it’s become somewhat true. Jobseekers now assume companies don’t hire at this time, and companies assume that applicants aren’t looking. Many businesses out there are still looking to hire both full time and temporary staff, and those out of work are always eager to rejoin the workforce, especially this year.

 

Holiday Rush

People believe in the holiday hiring freeze because they assume businesses are too busy with the holiday rush to onboard new employees before the holidays. This is true for many companies. Many of our clients that use our employment agency ask us to freeze hiring around the holidays as it’s the busiest season of the year for them. Instead, if they need additional help or need to fulfill positions, they may opt for temporary staffing solutions like seasonal holiday workers. That doesn’t mean it’s true for every company, though! Many out there don’t experience a seasonal rush and are eager to fill positions before starting the New Year.

 

End of Year Books

Part of the holiday rush is reconciling the end-of-year books before the New Year. As a hiring agency, we know that many companies are forced to put off hiring until January because they simply don’t have the budget left. This doesn’t mean that businesses stop looking for new hires completely, though! Many companies still keep their eyes out for talent by reading resumes and taking interviews. In other words, just because a company doesn’t have the budget to hire you until January doesn’t mean they aren’t looking now.

 

Temporary Staffing Solutions

Another common belief is that businesses prioritize funds to hire temporary holiday staff during the holiday to help with the extra workload. This results in applicants drying up because they assume they’ll only be hired for seasonal work. The reality is that businesses the rely on seasonal temp staffing already have that budgeted and worked out ahead of time. As a temp staffing agency, we encourage both companies and jobseekers to rethink how they view temporary staffing. These workers aren’t disposable, and many companies end up retaining quality workers by hiring full-time. Temp staffing solutions can provide tons of long-term benefits and may even become a company’s greatest asset.

 

Final Thoughts

So, is the holiday hiring freeze real? Our HR experts say no! While there is a seasonal slowdown in November and December, a lot of it has to do with both sides buying into outdated misconceptions. There are still tons of hiring opportunities out there during the holiday season.

 

If you’re looking to fulfill positions with quality candidates or are a job seeker looking for a lucrative job, contact Nova Staffing today! We’re one of the best employment agencies in Toronto and have a team of HR experts ready to help you.

 

Ontario Employment Outlook: October 2020 Report

Employment in Ontario continues to increase after a significant hit due to COVID-19. However, this month saw a decrease in growth, with unemployment rising for the first time in months. The total number of hours working in Ontario in the month of October was also down in all sectors, likely due to the second wave of the pandemic hitting the province.

 

Here is a quick report outlining Ontario’s employment outlook summary for October 2020, compiled by our staffing experts at Nova Staffing. All data is from the Ontario Government October 2020 Labour market report.

 

 

Employment Outlook

Employment in Ontario increased in the month of October, with 7.3 million residents employed (59%). This is up 30,600 jobs from September, which is only a 0.4% increase. This is a slower growth compared to September, which saw a 2.4% increase.

 

Unemployment unfortunately also increased in October. There were 768,000 residents in Ontario unemployed, which is a 1.4% increase compared to last month. This increase is likely due to the second wave of the pandemic hitting the province.

 

Employment by Age

Youth employment, those aged 15-24, was hit the hardest during the pandemic and this age demographic continues to be the slowest to recover to their pre-COVID numbers. In October, 22.1% of this demographic was unemployed; however, employment is gaining slowly, with 13,100 new jobs in the month.

 

Adult employment has been faring better, with 22,900 new jobs in October. However, unemployment in this demographic was 7.5% in October, up from 7.3% in September. Senior employment took a hit in October, losing 5,300 jobs with unemployment increasing to 7.3%, up from 7.1%.

 

Employment by Sector

Restrictions during the pandemic meant certain industries were hit harder than others. Over half of the job losses between February and May were concentrated in four sectors, and these have accounted for 62.2% of the jobs gained since May.

 

Certain sectors have struggled to return to their pre-COVID-19 levels. Transportation and Warehousing (−16.2%), Accommodation and Food Services (−15.7%), Business, Building and Other support services (−13.7%), Agriculture (-11.3%), and Construction (-8.7%) have all had the most loss and continue to be the furthest from their pre-pandemic numbers.

 

Meanwhile, other sectors have bounced back more quickly. Employment was above pre-COVID February levels in Forestry, Fishing, Mining, Quarrying, Oil, and Gas (12.5%), Professional, Scientific and Technical services (3.6%), Manufacturing (1.5%) and Finance, Insurance, Real estate, Rental and Leasing (1.1%).

 

Employment by Region

Employment gains continue to differ based on the region in October. Urban areas were hit hard, and many are still struggling with high case numbers and unemployment. These areas are seeing the highest employment growth, however. St. Catharine’s and Niagara saw the highest employment gains in October with a 3.1% increase. Toronto followed with a 2.8% increase, then Oshawa (+2.5%), Thunder Bay (+2.1%), Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (+1.8%), and Kingston (+1.2%).

 

Are you a job seeker or business looking for hiring solutions? Contact Nova Staffing today! We’re one of the best staffing agencies in the GTA and have a team of HR experts ready to help you with all of your employment needs.

 

Public Holidays in Ontario Employers Should Know About

The holiday season is quickly approaching, and employers might soon have workers asking them which days they get off. There are nine official public holidays in Ontario, in which employees are either entitled to take off or receive paid public holiday pay. Employers can offer additional days off, but here are the public holidays that workers are entitled to have off.

 

Public Holidays

Public holidays, also known as statutory holidays or stat holidays, are national, cultural, and religious holidays that Canada’s government has determined people should be off of work. Some of these vary by province, but in Ontario, there are nine recognized public holidays.

 

  • New Year’s Day (Jan 1)
  • Family Day (Third Monday in Feb.)
  • Good Friday (Friday before Easter)
  • Victoria Day (Second to last Monday in May)
  • Canada Day (July 1)
  • Labour Day (First Monday of Sept)
  • Thanksgiving Day (Second Monday of October)
  • Christmas Day (Dec 25)
  • Boxing Day (Dec 26)

 

Additional Holidays

In addition to the nine official holidays, the country celebrates a few extra holidays. On these days, the majority of businesses close down, and many employers opt to give employees the day off, however, it is not required.

 

These include:

  • Remembrance Day (Nov 11)
  • Civic holiday (First Monday of Aug)
  • Easter Monday (Monday after Easter)

 

Holiday Pay

Not all businesses are able to close down for holidays. When employees are required to work on public holidays, most are eligible for public holiday pay. Employers are responsible for ensuring they are calculating and paying the appropriate amount of holiday pay. Some industries and employees are exempt from holiday pay, and companies should know if their workers are or not.

 

Substitute Holiday

If a business is open only on Monday to Friday and a holiday falls on a weekend, then employers are required to provide an additional day off still. In Ontario, the substitute holiday can be observed either the day before or after the public holiday.

 

Alternatively, if an employee and employer both agree, instead of receiving the public holiday off or accepting public holiday pay, an employee can take a substitute holiday. This is when workers accept another working day off that is designed to replace a public holiday.

 

Have more questions about employment or looking for staffing solutions? Contact us today! Our team of HR experts at Nova Staffing is happy to help you with all of your employment needs.

 

What Makes Nova Staffing the Best Employment Agency

What Makes Nova Staffing the Best Employment Agency- NOVA STAFFING

Nova Staffing just recently celebrated 20 amazing years as a company. During our time, we’ve established ourselves as one of the best employment agencies in the GTA. We were even recently named one of Canada’s Top Growing Companies! So, what exactly makes Nova Staffing so great? Here are a few things that set us apart from other staffing agencies.

 

Experience

There’s an art to finding the right candidates for a job listing, and Nova Staffing is more than skilled at it. Our agency has been around for 20 years, and our team has over 200 years of combined industry experience. This means that we can find quality candidates and week out those that wouldn’t be a good fit. Our experience and ability to find the best employees for the job help save our clients time and money.

 

Industry Knowledge

One thing that makes Nova Staffing one of the best employment agencies in the GTA is our vast industry knowledge. While other agencies may have a hiring niche, we have experience staffing a number of different industries, from offices to work station sanitizers. We even launched Nova Driver Services five years ago to meet the needs of transportation companies looking to hire truck drivers and other delivery employees.

 

Relationships

Having been in the industry for two decades, Nova Staffing has built strong ties to a number of different companies. Some of our clients have been using us for years with satisfaction. Our network of clients means that we’re able to fulfill job positions with quality candidates quickly. We pride ourselves on our relationships, and it’s one thing that sets us above the rest.

 

Languages

Toronto is an amazing city full of people from different backgrounds. We know that employee’s backgrounds and cultures are an asset to companies, and we boast a team that is as diverse as the people we find jobs for. Our team of hiring experts speak English, French, Hindi, Punjabi, Mandarin, Arabic, and Urdu, which allows us to better connect with candidates and clients.

 

Ready to start fulfilling your staffing needs? Contact us today to talk with one of our HR experts! We’re here to help you with staffing solutions and any hiring needs.

 

Ontario Employment Outlook: September 2020 Report

Ontario’s employment continues to rebound nicely in September from the COVID-19 pandemic that hit the province hard in February and May. Though the province has gone back and forth on its pandemic restrictions, businesses continue to reopen, and employment is rising. September marked the fourth consecutive month of employment increase since the COVID-19 downturn hit in the spring. 

 

Here is a quick report outlining Ontario’s employment outlook summary for September 2020, compiled by our employment experts at Nova Staffing. All data is from the Ontario Government September 2020 Labour market report. 

 

 

Employment Outlook

Employment in Ontario increased by 2.4% in September, adding 167,600 new jobs. This means that of the 12.3 million people in the province, 7.2 million of them, or 59%) are employed. This is up 0.2% from August. 

 

Unemployment also improved in Ontario in September. There were only 757,400 unemployed people or 9.5%. This is down 0.5% from August when unemployment was at 10.6%. Overall, employment in the province continues to improve and likely will continue to do so as more businesses reopen. 

 

Employment by Age

Youth employment (those aged 15 to 24) was hit the hardest by COVID-19, and continues to struggle the most in the job search. Due to a number of businesses reopening, though, this age group saw an increase of 80,700 in September. Despite the gains, this age group still has the highest rate of unemployment at 23%. This is down from the 27.7% unemployment rate in August, though.

 

Adult employment has fared better. Adults aged 25 to 54 saw 78,600 new jobs in September and had an unemployment rate of 7.3%. Senior employment for those 55 and older is also improving slowly. There were 8,300 new jobs added in September, and unemployment for this age group was at 7.1%. 

 

Employment by Sector

Government restrictions during the pandemic meant certain industries were hit harder than others. Over half of the job losses from February to May were concentrated in four sectors. These continue sectors are gaining employment each month but are still below their pre-pandemic numbers. Accommodation and Food Services has bounced back the slowest and is still 13.8% under its pre-COVID numbers. This sector is followed by Business, Building, and other Support Services (-12.3%), Agriculture (-12.5%), Transportation and Warehousing (-11.3%), and Construction (-9.5%).

 

Most other sectors took dips during the pandemic’s height, but they weren’t hit nearly as hard. These industries have managed to grow beyond their pre-pandemic numbers. Forestry, Fishing, Mining, Quarrying, and Oil was 8% above its old levels in September. It was followed by Manufacturing (+2.3%), Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate (+0.9%), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (+0.4%), and Educational Services (+0.4%).

 

Employment by Region

Employment gains continued to vary depending on the region in September. Urban areas such as Toronto were hit the hardest during COVID-19 but continue to bounce back. Oshawa had the highest employment increase in September, increased by 4% (8,300 jobs), followed by St. Catharine & Niagara (+3.5%), Toronto (+3.2%), Thunder Bay (+3.2%), Brantford (+2.2%), and London (+1.7%).

 

If you’re a job seeker or a business looking for hiring solutions, contact our employment experts today! Nova Staffing is one of the best employment agencies in Brampton and the GTA and has a team ready to help with all of your staffing needs. We boast over 100 years of combined industry experience, and we have professionals that speak English, French, Hindi, Punjabi, Mandarin, Arabic, and Urdu.