Hays will give clues on job market following the country’s vote to quit the EU

RECRUITMENT FIRM Hays will be watched closely this week for any signs of how the British job market is holding up following the country’s vote to quit the European Union, while 888 Holdings will report its first set of results since abandoning a threeway merger with Rank Group and William Hill. Hays is forecast to report a rise in profits for the full year this week, but the prospect of a slowdown in UK hiring is looming large over the recruitment sector following Britain’s decision to quit the EU.

The group’s chief executive, Alistair Cox ,said: “Although there is significantly increased uncertainty in the UK, it is too early to say how the result of the referendum will impact our results going forward.”

Hays’ full-year earnings report will only cover seven days following the referendum, but investors will look for clues as to what the hiring environment and recruitment business will look like in the months following Brexit.

Online gaming giant 888 Holdings is set to report a boost in earnings and revenues on Wednesday when it updates the City for the first time since it was spurned by takeover target William Hill.

Strong demand for sport betting in Spain and Italy is expected to bolster its financial performance despite a potential hit from currency headwinds caused by the Brexit vote.

The plunge in the value of the pound following Britain’s vote to leave the European Union creates a challenge for 888, which reports in US dollars but makes 46 per cent of its revenues in the UK.

The update will come just weeks after it walked away empty-handed from an attempt to team up with Rank Group and merge with FTSE 250 betting firm William Hill.

The £3.6bn three-way merger proposal was cast to the scrap heap after William Hill’s board rejected it on the grounds that it substantially undervalued the company.