Hays reports strong growth globally

8th Oct 2015 07:42

(ShareCast News) - Recruitment company Hays has reported a strong level of net fees growth in all its regions, but currency movements have had an impact on the results.The FTSE 250 company reported on Thursday total group growth of 8%, but fluctuations in foreign exchange left the company reporting only 3% growth for the quarter to 30 September.Asia Pacific was the worst hit with like-for-like growth of 6%, bolstered by 5% growth in Australia and New Zealand, but reported a final net fees decline of 7%.Both the permanent and temporary segment grew 8%, but only 3% after taking into account currency changes.But Hays chief executive Alistair Cox highlighted some challenging market conditions."The recovery in our Australia business continued, though conditions remained mixed, with strong growth in New South Wales and Victoria contrasted by tough conditions in the mining-focused regions," he said."Looking ahead, while we continue to see generally consistent conditions overall, the year-on-year comparators become more challenging, notably in the UK and Australia, and we are mindful of current macro-economic risks."Cox said the company remains focused on driving profitable growth, including more targeted investment in growth opportunities.