Global recruiter PageGroup has today reported a 79.3% jump in half-year operating profit, helped by strong hiring demand from companies amid staff shortages.
The London-listed company, which helps hire executives, professionals and clerical staff, said operating profit for the six months ended June 30 was £115.3m, compared with £64.3m a year earlier.
"Looking forward, we recognise the heightened degree of global macro-economic and geo-political uncertainty, particularly with regards to increasing inflation around the world," chief executive Steve Ingham said in a statement.
"In July, we noted a slight slowing in time to hire in some of our markets, and we continue to closely monitor our forward-looking KPIs (key performance indicators)," he added.
The recruitment industry is witnessing a boom as hunt for the right talent continues across sectors, with accounting and technology staffs in high demand. To secure the best candidates, the employers are taking faster hiring decisions and offering higher salaries.
PageGroup said it expected its 2022 operating profit to be in line with the company-compiled consensus of £205m.
The company also announced a special dividend of 26.71 pence per share.
