Retailers around the country hired 34 percent fewer workers in October compared to a year earlier, according to Chelmsford-based Kronos Inc.’s monthly retail labor index.
Of 27,000 retail distribution sites surveyed nationally, there was a 17-percent drop in hiring compared to last October.
The labor index also found that the percentage of applications that lead to jobs decreased from 3.6 percent in September to 3 percent in October. That means that for every 100 applications a retailer receives, it hires three people.
The number of applications retailers nationwide received increased slightly from September but was down 37 percent from last year.
