Recruiter Hays reported a jump in first-half profit on Thursday thanks to an “excellent” fee performance across all regions amid a recovery from the pandemic.
In the six months to 30 June, operating profit rose to £210.1m from £95.1m in the same period a year ago, with net fees up 32% to £1.2bn. Analysts had been expecting operating profit of £210.5m.
The core dividend per share was lifted 134% to 2.85p and the company declared a special dividend of 7.34p a share, down a touch from 8.93p a year earlier.
Hays also said it had increased its share buyback programme by a further £18.2m, meaning it began FY23 with £75m available for buybacks.
Chief executive Alistair Cox said: “Performance in all regions was excellent. Our actions to capitalise on long-term structural opportunities, acute skill shortages and strong markets, supported by our ability to increase fee margins and the benefits of wage inflation, delivered record group fees, 24 country records and 128% operating profit growth.
“Germany, our largest business, was the biggest absolute contributor to our profit growth, while the UK & Ireland and Rest of World divisions delivered strong profit recoveries.”
