Companies are increasingly streamlining operations to ease over-staffing problems from the economic downturn, according to the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management (IHRM). A recent survey by the institute saw only 20 per cent of participating companies indicate their workforces were too large. In the first half, the figure was 40 per cent. Recruitment freezes, natural turnover and involuntary redundancy were cited as the most common strategies being adopted. Of the 152 companies surveyed, 79 per cent reported changes in their basic salary policies since last year. The most prevalent change was a reduction in salaries for new recruits. Most of the companies cut pay for recruits by less than 10 per cent. However, one-third of the companies increased their profit-sharing bonuses and commissions. 'This shows that some companies do try to make use of incentive-related pay to motivate their staff during difficult times,' IHRM research director Sara Cheung said. EMPLOYMENT