Slower Hiring Expected in New Year, CareerBuilder.ca's Annual Job Forecast Reveals

    - Flexible Work Arrangements, Green Jobs, Diversity Recruitment and
    Rehiring Retirees Among Trends for 2009 -

    TORONTO, Dec. 30 /CNW/ -- CareerBuilder.ca, a leading online job site in
Canada, released the results of its latest survey, conducted by Harris
Interactive(R), which tracked projected hiring trends for 2009. The survey,
titled "2009 Canadian Hiring Forecast," was conducted from November 12 through
December 1, 2008 among 286 hiring managers and human resource professionals in
private sector companies.
    "After steady growth for the first 10 months, the weakened U.S. and
global economies appear to be having a negative effect on Canadian job growth
in the final months of 2008," said Remy Piazza, Managing Director of
CareerBuilder Canada. "Looking ahead to 2009, current recruitment trends are
expected to continue at a slower pace, as companies wait to see what happens
with the global economy.  Eighteen per cent of employers said they plan to
increase full-time, permanent employees and 16 per cent plan to decrease in
2009.  The remainder of employers say they are unsure or don't plan to make
any changes to their headcount in the new year."

    HIRING IN 2009
    Full-time

    Eighteen per cent of employers plan to increase their number of full-time
permanent employees in 2009.  This compares to 46 per cent who anticipated
increasing headcount in 2008.  Sixteen per cent plan to decrease staff levels
in 2009 while 51 per cent expect no change. Fifteen per cent are unsure.

    Part-time

    Thirteen per cent of employers plan to increase their number of part-time
employees in 2009, down from 28 per cent who expected to do so in 2008.
Sixteen per cent plan to decrease headcount in 2009, 54 per cent expect no
change and 17 per cent are unsure.

    Hiring By Job Level

    When asked which job level employers will be recruiting for the most in
2009, nearly half (46 per cent) of employers pointed to professional and
technical staff members while 20 per cent cited administrative/clerical
positions.  Four per cent will target management positions from team leaders
and directors to vice presidents and C-level executives.

    SIX MAJOR HIRING TRENDS FOR 2009
    #1  Increased Salaries

    Even as companies explore ways to cut costs, employers still plan to
increase salaries in the coming year.

    -- Seventy-seven per cent of employers report their companies will
       increase salaries for existing employees in 2009, down from 84 per cent
       in 2008.  Forty-seven per cent expect to raise salaries by 3 per cent
       or more, while 13 per cent anticipate increases of 5 per cent or more.
    -- More than four-in-ten (41 per cent) employers expect to increase
       salaries on initial offers to new employees, down from 65 per cent in
       2008. Nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of employers will raise salaries
       by 3 per cent or more, while 9 per cent anticipate increases of 5 per
       cent or more.
    #2  Flexible Work Arrangements

    Companies plan to continue providing employees with greater flexibility
in hopes of maintaining a better work-life balance.  43 per cent of employers
say they plan to provide more flexible work arrangements in 2009.  These
arrangements include:

    -- Alternate schedules -- come in early and leave early or come in later
       and leave later -- 74 per cent
    -- Compressed workweeks -- work the same hours, but in fewer days -- 44
       per cent
    -- Summer hours -- 34 per cent
    -- Job sharing -- 31 per cent
    -- Telecommuting options -- 28 per cent
    -- Sabbaticals -- 15 per cent
    #3  Green Jobs

    Employers plan to continue to be environmentally aware in the new year.
Thirteen per cent of employers say they plan to add "green jobs" in 2009,
compared to 21 per cent who say they added them in 2008. "Green Jobs" are
positions that implement environmentally conscious design, policy and
technology to improve conservation and sustainability.

    #4  Recruitment Tools

    As recruitment budgets tighten, more employers are leveraging the
Internet as a vehicle for finding potential employees. While 30 per cent of
employers say their overall hiring budgets will decrease for 2009, however,
they plan to increase their recruitment spend on the following:

    -- Online recruitment sites -- 26 per cent
    -- Staffing firms and recruiters -- 21 per cent
    -- E-mail campaigns -- 9 per cent
    -- Social networking sites -- 9 per cent
    -- Business and trade magazine ads -- 7 per cent
    #5  Retaining Retirees

    Four-in-ten employers (39 percent) surveyed report concern over the loss
of intellectual capital at their organizations as a large number of baby
boomers approach retirement age.

    -- More than one-in-five employers (21 per cent) say they are likely to
       rehire retirees from other companies in 2009.  Another 16 per cent are
       likely to provide incentives for workers at or approaching retirement
       age to stay on with the company longer.
    #6  Freelance or Contract Hiring

    As many companies wait for the economy to bounce back, they are turning
to freelance or contract workers to help support their businesses.

    -- Thirty-seven per cent of employers anticipate hiring with freelancers
       or contractors in 2009. Five per cent expect to employ more freelance
       workers or contractors than last year while 21 per cent expect to hire
       the same amount and 10 per cent plan to hire a lesser amount.

    HIRING AND COMPENSATION IN Q1
    Hiring

    Thirty per cent of employers say they increased their headcount in the
last three months.  Eighteen per cent reduced headcount while 48 per cent
reported no change and 5 per cent were unsure.
    Employers are anticipating cautious hiring in the upcoming quarter.
Twenty per cent of employers plan to add employees in Q1 2009.  Twelve per
cent will decrease headcount while 59 per cent anticipate no change and 10 per
cent are unsure.

    Compensation

    With a large number of annual salary increases taking place in the first
quarter, 63 per cent of employers expect to raise compensation levels in the
next three months.  Forty-one per cent estimate the average raise to amount to
3 per cent or more while 21 per cent anticipate an average raise of 5 per cent
or more.

    Survey Methodology

    This survey was conducted online within Canada by Harris Interactive on
behalf of CareerBuilder.com among 286 hiring managers and human resource
professionals (employed full-time; not self-employed; with at least
significant involvement in hiring decisions; non-government, ages 18 and over
between November 12 and December 1, 2008 (percentages for some questions are
based on a subset of Canadian Employers or Employees, based on their responses
to certain questions). With a pure probability sample of 286, one could say
with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error
of +/- 5.79 percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is
higher and varies.

    About CareerBuilder.ca

    CareerBuilder is a leading job site in Canada. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc.
(NYSE: GCI), the Tribune Company, The McClatchy Company (NYSE: MNI) and
Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), CareerBuilder.ca powers the career centers for
more than 175 Canadian partners that reach national, local, industry and niche
audiences. These include leading portals such as AOL Canada and Macleans.ca.
Job seekers visit CareerBuilder.ca every month to search for opportunities by
industry, location, company and job type, sign up for automatic e-mail job
alerts, and get advice on job hunting and career management. For more
information about CareerBuilder.ca products and services, visit
http://www.careerbuilder.ca.

     Media Contact
     Michael Erwin
     Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
     +1 773-527-3637
     Michael.Erwin@careerbuilder.com

For further information: Michael Erwin, Senior Manager, Corporate
Communications of CareerBuilder.ca, +1-773-527-3637,
Michael.Erwin@careerbuilder.com Web Site: http://www.careerbuilder.ca