Hays CEO: There’s no substitute to meeting people face to face Opinion Each week, we dig into the memory bank of the City's great and good. Today, it's Dirk Hahn, chief executive officer at recruitment firm Hays.
Tax hikes push firms to automate jobs, says top UK recruiter Economics Tax hikes and wage pressures are putting Brits at risk of losing roles to automation and offshoring, a top UK recruitment firm has warned. Hays has warned Britain is becoming “unattractive to hire people permanently” as employer costs mounted over the last year. “Wage pressures and national insurance changes are pushing employers to explore automation [...]
Hays slashes dividend as profit plummets Business Hays reported drops across most of its financial lines as the group battles a challenging hiring market, forcing it to reduce its final dividend for shareholders.
Losses double at global recruiter despite sales passing £2bn August 5, 2025 Losses at a UK-headquartered global recruitment giant more doubled despite its revenue passing the $3bn (£2.2bn) mark during its latest financial year. Altrincham-headquartered NES Fircroft has posted a pre-tax loss of $67.7m for the 12 months to 31 October, 2024, according to new accounts filed with Companies House. The loss comes after the business also [...]
Page Group profit tumbles amid job market woes and tariff uncertainty July 10, 2025 Page Group has reported a hefty decline in half-year profit as recruiters grapple with a slowdown in the jobs market and uncertainty in global trade. Gross profit fell 12.3 per cent to £389.3m year-on-year on a reported basis, with a notable 13.4 per cent decline in the UK. British firms have been grappling with tax [...]
Hays: Shares tank after recruiter issues latest profit warning June 19, 2025 Hays has downgraded its annual profit guidance and issued a bleak forecast for the UK’s recruitment market. The London-listed group said it expected pre-exceptional operating profits of around £45m in 2025, well below analyst consensus of £56.4m. Shares tumbled more than 13 per cent in early deals. Firms have been grappling with increases to national [...]
Recruitment firms shutting at fastest rate since financial crash April 24, 2025 Recruitment agencies are shutting for business at their fastest rate in fifteen years as companies tear up hiring plans amid rising taxes and global economic uncertainty. As many as 120 recruitment businesses have appointed liquidators in the past six months, a City AM analysis of insolvency disclosures has found, a jump of 17 per cent [...]
Gattaca: Ongoing industry troubles hit recruitment specialist April 2, 2025 affing specialist Gattaca has reported a slowdown in profit due to persistent difficulties in the recruitment market. The firm told markets this morning that profit after tax fell 34 per cent to £0.5m in the six months ended January 31. Net fee income, a key performance metric in the recruitment industry, fell three per cent [...]
Hays: Profit cut in half at recruiter February 20, 2025 Hays has reported another drop in profit as it struggles amid a long-running in the recruitment sector. Group net fees, a key performance indicator in the recruitment sector, dropped 13 per cent in the six months ending 31 December. Operating profit fell 56 per cent to £25.5m, while profit before tax fell 66 per cent [...]
Hays: Recruiter warns on profit amid slowdown in permanent hires January 15, 2025 Recruiter Hays reported another fall in quarterly fees on Wednesday amid an ongoing slowdown in the headhunting market. Group net fees, which are considered an indicator of performance in the industry, dropped 12 per cent in the three months ending 31 December. The downturn was driven by a significant drop-off in permanent hires, down 19 [...]