Recruiter SThree has today reported a 9% drop in full-year fees it earns from facilitating hiring in the UK and Ireland, underlining the nervousness among employers ahead of Brexit.
However, the company's overseas strength offset the impact to an extent.
The pace of hiring in the UK was the slowest in more than a decade in November, pointing to a waning jobs market ahead of Brexit.
A survey of recruiters last week showed the permanent job placements fell for a ninth month in a row in the UK.
"Looking ahead is difficult at the best of times and even more so now, given the significant macro market and political uncertainties," chief executive Mark Dorman said.
SThree, which operates in 16 countries, has benefited from a rise in temporary hiring in Continental Europe and the US.
This helped it report a 5% rise in net fees for the year ended November 30 to £342.2m.
SThree, which hires employees for the science, technology, engineering and mathematics spheres, said adjusted pretax profit for the year would be at an all-time record for the group and in line with market consensus.
Its international markets accounted for 86% of group net fees for the period, with growth across all regions.
