Kronos report: Retail hiring conditions tighten

Chelmsford, Mass. -- A report released Thursday by Kronos Inc. showed that hiring conditions among retailers are tightening, suggesting an improvement in the industry. The Kronos Retail Labor Index jumped to 4.1% in January 2012 from a downwardly revised 3.4% in December 2011. (This index is defined as the ratio of hires to applications within a given month, expressed as a percentage. A level of 3.0% means that for every 100 applications received, three hires occurred.) This was the second reading above 4.0% since October 2008 and primarily reflected a sharp decline in applications, as hires were little changed