Metropolitan Monthly Monitors: Metro Help-Wanted Index December 2009

Despite the strong employment gains in most census metropolitan areas (CMAs) in November, this edition of the Conference Board of Canada’s helpwanted index suggests that near-term employment prospects are still uneven. According to the help-wanted index, near-term employment prospects are up in nine CMAs, stable in two and down in 16. The two metropolitan areas with stable near-term prospects are St. John’s and Vancouver. Of the nine CMAs with positive employment growth prospects, only one (Regina) is located in Western Canada. The other eight markets are located in Quebec and Ontario. This means that, besides Regina and Vancouver, near-term employment prospects remain down in all Western Canadian markets.