UK firms hiring again

THE hiring slowdown which followed the Brexit vote is starting to fade as businesses ‘get on with it’, the boss of Hays has said.

Alistair Cox, 56, said the recruiter hoped for a modest return to growth in the UK market following a 21pc fall in profits in the year to the end of June.

He said businesses paused hiring after Britain’s vote to leave the EU but the effect was not as bad as expected. Overall, the group’s profits rose to a nine-year high of £204m, up 18pc from £173m the previous year.

This was thanks to profit boosts outside the UK and Hays plans a dividend of £108.3m for investors.