White-collar recruiter Michael Page today added to the growing evidence of a UK jobs recovery, with its profit in this country rising 8.1% in the first three months of the year.
That’s an acceleration of last year’s growth, when June to December saw profit from finding finance and other firms new candidates rise 5%.
It comes after rival recruiter Hays last week flagged up much-improved confidence levels of candidates and more job switching in the UK.
Overall, Page said it saw growth in its four regions —Europe, the UK, Asia and the Americas — which helped profit, with the impact of currency movements stripped out, to rise 6.8% in the first three months.
However, foreign exchange headwinds, particularly in Brazil, Japan and Australia, meant Page’s reported £126.6 million quarterly profit was actually 0.2% lower than the same time a year earlier.
Chief executive Steve Ingham said: “We are pleased with the continued strong results coming from the UK.”
