The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Local l job b market k offers ff give-and-take d k outlook l k for f 2012 Oakville and Burlington residents should expect moderate employment opportunities during the first quarter of 2012, according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey (MEOS). Survey data reveals that 15 per cent of employers plan to hire from January to March, while 10 per cent anticipate cutbacks -- stated Erica Giannou of Manpower's Hamilton office. Seventy-three per cent of employers plan to maintain their current staffing levels, while two per cent are unsure of their hiring intentions for the first three months. "Burlington and Oakville's first quarter employment outlook of five per cent is a definite decrease from the outlook of 16 per cent reported for the previous quarter," said Giannou. "It is also a two percentage point drop from the outlook reported during the same time last year, which indicates a fair hiring climate for the upcoming months." MEOS is conducted quarterly to measure employers' plans to increase or decrease the number of employees in their workforce during the next quarter. The survey has been around for nearly 50 years, and is one of the most trusted surveys of employment activity in the world. "The upcoming quarter's employment outlook suggests some gains in employer optimism, particularly in the manufacturing -- durables sector," said Byrne Luft, vice-president of operations and staffing services for Manpower Canada. "Although Western Canada anticipates the most favourable hiring climate, employers in all regions and sectors are telling us they plan to hire at a more cautious pace from January to March compared with the previous quarter." "It will be interesting to see how employer optimism develops through the rest of the year," he added. MEOS is based on interviews with nearly 65,000 public and private employers worldwide. For more information, visit http://www. manpowergroup.com/. 15 · Thursday, December 15, 2011 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com la strada fine espresso machines MASSIVE CLEARANCE on the world's finest espresso machines by Philips Saeco, Jura, Francis Francis and Gaggia for home and office use. Large selection of quality espresso coffee beans from rom Switzerland S and Italy. y HOLIDAY SALE Authorized Ser vice Centre Oakville location 905-257-1260 · Toronto location 416-792-6967 email: lastrada@cogeco.ca · web www.lastradaespressomachines.com w la strada In Business Since 1993 GINAL PRICE $610 Wining and Dining Adventure in Niagara Falls Hilton Niagara Falls Fallsview, Niagara Falls, ON ORIGINAL PRICE $299 $159 Buy before December 19, 2011