PageGroup axes fee earners as profit plunges amid uncertain markets

(Alliance News) - PageGroup PLC on Thursday cited ongoing macro-economic uncertainties as it ...

Alliance News 6 March, 2025 | 12:30PM
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(Alliance News) - PageGroup PLC on Thursday cited ongoing macro-economic uncertainties as it reported a drop in profit and sales in a "challenging" 2024.

The Weybridge, England-based recruiter said gross profit fell 16% to GBP842.6 million in 2024 from GBP1.01 billion in 2023. Operating profit more than halved to GBP52.4 million from GBP118.8 million, as did pretax profit to GBP49.1 million from GBP117.4 million.

Revenue fell a more modest 14% to GBP1.74 billion in 2024 from GBP2.01 billion in 2023.

Chief Executive said: "Market conditions remained challenging across all regions in 2024, with worsening sentiment and reduced confidence in Europe during the second half of the year."

He noted the conversion of interviews to accepted offers remains the "most significant area of challenge" as ongoing macro-economic uncertainty continues to impact candidate and client confidence.

Kirk said the business saw a slower end to 2024, which has continued into January and February. However, he pointed out they are two of the smallest months of the year from a trading perspective.

Looking ahead, Kirk noted a "high degree of macro-economic and geopolitical uncertainty" remains across the majority of markets, notably in the UK, France and Germany.

Reflecting the weak trading environment, PageGroup cut the number of fee earners by 8.2% to 7,361 by the end of 2024.

The firm proposed a final 2024 dividend of 11.75p per share, up 4.5% from 11.24p a year ago, taking the total payout, excluding 2023's special dividends, to 17.11p up 4.5% from 16.37p.

Shares in Pagegroup were down 1.7% to 320.00p in London midday Thursday.

By Jeremy Cutler, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

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Securities Mentioned in Article

Security Name Price Change (%) Morningstar
Rating
PageGroup PLC 327.80 GBX 0.74 -

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