Выражение встречается в следующем контексте:

In 1988 the Patent Office announced that they would relocate from London to a new building in Newport, Gwent to obtain savings on accommodation, staff and running costs. The key factor in the significant staff cost reductions proved to be the material improvement in staff retention levels that the Patent Office experienced, with a sharp fall in recruitment and training costs.

In 1987, the last full year in which the Patent Office was wholly based in London, staff turnover at service grades was 23 per cent. In 1992-93 turnover for the equivalent grades for Patent Office staff in Newport was 4 per cent.

Заранее большое спасибо.