About 20% of Canadian employers expect to hire more people in the next three months, according to a new Manpower survey.

The staffing firm's quarterly Employment Outlook Survey also found that 72% expect to maintain current payroll levels and 5% plan to make cutbacks. Two percent of the 1,900 employers surveyed are unsure what they will do.

The retail sector in particular has an "upbeat" hiring climate, thanks to the competition created by Target stores coming into Canada and vying with Walmart, the poll said.

Jobs are also likely to be added in the mining, construction, transportation and utilities sectors.

The manufacturing, finance, real estate and education sectors anticipate little or no expansion of their workforces, the survey found.

A separate survey from Robert Half staffing, also released Tuesday, found that 37% of lawyers plan to hire full-time legal staff in the second quarter of 2012.