5th Mar 2026 16:42
(Alliance News) - PageGroup PLC shares fell sharply on Thursday, as the recruitment firm announced profit shrank by two-thirds and halved dividend per share in 2025, sharing the market uncertainty of the sector.
The Surrey, England-based company said revenue fell to GBP1.60 billion in 2025, down 8.2% from GBP1.74 billion a year prior. Pretax profit instead shrank to GBP16.2 million from GBP49.1 million, down 68% year-on-year.
The results come despite a cost reduction programme worth GBP5 million realised during the year, and a headcount reduced by 7.5% to 6,820 in 2025, forcing the company to propose a final dividend of 3.21 pence per share from a final dividend of 11.75 pence per share in 2024.
It essentially halves the total dividend for the year to 8.57 pence per share from 2024's 17.11.
The firm, which helped recruit 147,592 people last year, previously reported that its UK and its Europe, Middle East, and Africa divisions saw double-digit profit decreases, and reiterated it sees its performance as "resilient" despite the market.
Chief Executive Officer Nicholas Kirk said that "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, also extending the time-to-hire."
He added that the firm is on track to deliver annual savings of GBP15 million from this year, and that the market outlook remains "uncertain due to the unpredictable economic environment".
The company also added that Non-Executive Director Michelle Healy will step down from her role at the end of April after nine years.
PageGroup shares closed down 15% to 152.59 pence each on Thursday in London.
By Martin Miraglia, Alliance News reporter
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