Workers in the Western provinces of Alberta and British Columbia (BC) have displayed the greatest confidence around their company’s growth and hiring prospects.

Of 1,000 Canadians surveyed by the BMO Financial Group, 60% of Albertans and 49% of those in BC believed their companies to be growing and hiring more employees, compared to a national average of 41%, up from 28% last year.

Alberta is the only state where fewer than one in 10 employees (9%) believe lay-offs are likely to occur at their firm this year, with BC mirroring the national average of 22%.

However, it was the central provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, treated as one in this survey, which registered the overall greatest level of job security at 81%, with BMO Economics senior economist Sal Guatieri noting that “Canadian job security is fairly good, with our 7.3% unemployment rate below historic norms”.