Defying global gloom, HK firms plan to boost hiring
After a positive start to 2011, earnings forecasts for Hong Kong businesses have once again been affected by market volatility.
According to the latest Regus Business Confidence Index, Hong Kong employers polled through September were slightly less optimistic about their revenue prospects than those who were interviewed during the same period a year ago.
Of the respondents surveyed this year, 76.7 per cent said they expected their company revenues to rise in the next 12 months, down 2.1percentage points over 2010. The survey also reported marginal rises in the percentage of respondents expecting their company revenues to remain flat or to decline over the next 12 months.
Despite the decline in forecasts, however, overall confidence among Hong Kong business remains high, relative to the global average as well as that of mainland China, which saw a significant dampening in o