"More than sixty percent of employers will grow headcount this quarter, even though hiring expectations have fallen after more than two years of robust growth," said James Carss, executive general manager, Hong Kong, Hudson. "Cost control has had the greatest positive impact on company performance over the past twelve months."

Looking at the market as a whole, hiring expectations show only a slight dip over the past year. The 61 percent of respondents across all sectors forecasting headcount growth this quarter compares with 65 percent in Q3 2010.