Hays boosted by demand for permanent staff in UK, Europe and Asia

8th Jan 2015 08:17

Strong demand for permanent staff in the UK, Asia and Europe saw recruitment group Hays post an 11% increase in underlying second-quarter fees.The firm, which specialises in placing workers in the finance, IT and construction industry, said net fees for permanent job placements rose 16% on a like-for-like basis in the three months to 31 December, while temporary fees placement increased 8%."We have delivered another strong set of quarterly results, driven by an acceleration of permanent growth in each of our three regions," said the group's chief executive Alistair Cox."Conditions were good in the majority of our markets and it was encouraging to return to strong growth in Australia after a difficult couple of years.During the quarter Hays completed the acquisition of Veredus, giving the group a "significant platform" in the USA, the world's largest recruitment market.Permanent job placements rose by 19% in Australia and New Zealand, resulting in an overall 10% growth in the region, with a 23% increase in the UK and Ireland, driven by a 15% growth across the accountancy, finance, construction, property and IT sectors.Demand in Germany grew 6%, while France saw a 14% increase, with other 14 countries in the region delivering a growth of over 10%.Hays shares were up 3.80% to 147.40p at 08:27 on Thursday.