Hong Kong employees are now more active in switching jobs as compared with the past two years, Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management (HKIHRM) said Tuesday.

According to the First Quarter 2005 Survey on Manpower Statistics conducted by HKIHRM, the overall average turnover rate in the job market was 2.99 percent in the first quarter of 2005.

The rate was 0.62 percentage point higher than in the previous quarter. It was also 0.92 percentage point higher when compared with the same period last year.

Lai Kam-tong, vice president of HKIHRM said the constant growth in turnover rate is a sign of steady economic recovery.

"More vacancies have provided employees, in particular those equipped with the right skill sets, with more opportunities to 'shop around' for better offers," Lai said. According to the survey, the retail and telecommunications sectors recorded the highest turnover, followed by the business/professional services and wholesale, import/export, trading sectors.

In terms of staff level, the middle management/non-managerial professionals segment recorded the highest turnover rate, followed by clerical/front-line staff.

The HKIHRM Quarterly Survey on Manpower Statistics Survey has been conducted since 2002, with the objective of tracking manpower movements in Hong Kong's labor market.

A total of 115 companies participated in the 2005 first-quarter survey, covering over 110,000 employees.

Source: Xinhua