International recruiter Hays to resume dividends on upbeat jobs outlook

It has been aided by many main markets easing Covid restrictions and progressing their vaccine rollouts.

Hays is benefiting from "being able to charge top dollar for finding good candidates" especially in the backdrop of a shortage of skilled staff, analysts said.

International recruitment giant Hays is to resume paying shareholder dividends later this year on the back of optimism over a stronger-than-expected recovery in the global job market.

Hays reported a 31% drop in annual operating profit – for the 12 months to the end of June – to £95.1m (€111m) and an 8% fall in net fee income to just over £918m. Full-year fee income for its operations in Ireland were down 11%, despite a decent rise in the fourth quarter.