According to Hudson, of all the nearly 600 executives from key business sectors it interviewed in June this year, 61 percent plan to increase hiring in Q3 of 2011, down from 69 percent the previous quarter. Only 1 percent of the respondents expect to reduce headcount, Hudson added.

This is the first quarter in which expectations have fallen since Q2 2009 and a leveling off was anticipated after a long period of strong growth, said Hudson, adding that the first half of this year was very busy in hiring terms and many employers tend to take a more conservative approach in the third quarter.