TORONTO — Miners in Western and Atlantic Canada could be some of Canada's most desirable job candidates in the coming quarter, according to a survey of employer intentions by a global staffing firm.

The survey released Tuesday by Manpower Canada found 21 per cent of more than 1,900 Canadian employers expect to increase their payrolls in the fourth quarter of 2010, but seven per cent of employers anticipate making cutbacks.

By region, employers in Western Canada were most optimistic, followed by those in Atlantic Canada.

Of the 10 industries surveyed, employers in mining and manufacturing-durable goods and education reported the most positive expectations for the fourth quarter, followed by those in finance, insurance and real estate.

Of those surveyed, 70 per cent of employers expect to maintain current staffing levels and two per cent are unsure of their intentions for the quarter.

However, employers surveyed were even more enthusiastic about hiring prospects in the third quarter, when 22 per cent said they were looking to hire.

Employer hiring sentiment declined steadily during the recession and hit a trough in the third quarter of 2009.

Manpower, a private-sector company that provides staffing services to employers, predicts "steady" employment in the fourth quarter.

However, economists have warned that Canada's unemployment rate could remain around eight per cent for some time, as economic growth slows at home and fears of the spread of a double-dip recession in the U.S. trickle across the border.

Overall, Canada's projected net employment outlook adjusted for seasonal variation -- the percentage of employers expecting to hire minus the percentage expecting to downsize -- was for a gain of 15 per cent in the quarter. The outlook was far more bleak in the United States, where the net employment outlook was mire at five per cent.

Employers in rapidly developing countries such as India, Taiwan, China and Brazil reported the strongest fourth-quarter hiring plans.

Some of the effect of slower growth could be reflected in Canadian jobs figures for August to be released later this week.

So far this summer, job figures have been mixed with a whopping 93,000 jobs added in June before a loss of 9,300 in July -- the first downturn in job growth since December. July's losses ratcheted the unemployment rate up 0.1 of a percentage point to eight per cent.

Nearly all of the approximately 400,000 jobs lost during the recession have been recovered after half a year of steady increases, but the unemployment rate remains about two percentage points higher than it was before the start of the 2008-09 recession.