Hiring intentions on mend, but labour market still flat

Hiring intentions appear to be on the mend, but activity in the labour market is still relatively weak, manpower data compiled by the Institute of Human Resource Management shows. Its third-quarter survey of 114 companies, covering about 104,000 employees, found an overall turnover rate of 2.72 per cent, 1.09 percentage points higher than in the second quarter but 1.51 percentage points lower year on year. Almost half of the companies surveyed said hiring plans might remain unchanged for the fourth quarter, while one-fifth might increase hiring.