Fears of a hiring market slowdown increased on Thursday as SThree warned it was expecting a sharp fall in profits next year, sending shares in the specialist recruiter and other London-listed headhunters lower.
SThree, which places science, technology, engineering and mathematics workers, said it was expecting pre-tax profits of about £25mn next year, far below analyst estimates of £66.6mn. Analysts are expecting the group to announce profits of £67.4mn for the year ended November 30 2024.
SThree’s warning follows a brutal period for recruiters, which have suffered as international companies have cut jobs or delayed hiring decisions amid wider geopolitical uncertainty and tough economic conditions.
Shares in SThree tumbled as much as 36 per cent in early trading in London to about £2.31, the lowest level since 2020, and were down by 24 per cent by mid-morning. The negative update affected other recruiters’ shares, pulling Hays stock 5 per cent lower and sending PageGroup shares down 3 per cent.
SThree, which places workers in countries across Europe, the Netherlands, US and UK, said net fees had fallen 9 per cent over the year to November 30 to £369mn, with fees from permanent hiring down almost a fifth, and contract hiring down 7 per cent.
It said increased “political and macroeconomic uncertainty”, particularly in Europe, had resulted in weak business activity, as companies delayed decision-making.
Chief executive Timo Lehne said the “anticipated easing of market conditions [had] not yet materialised, adding the company had taken a “prudent view” of its 2025 financial year as a result.
The warning comes as UK companies face rising costs as a result of higher employers’ national insurance contributions announced in chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Budget in October.
On Tuesday, jobs site Indeed said hiring in the UK had fallen more sharply than in other large economies over the past year, with advertised vacancies down 13 per cent from their pre-pandemic level, and 23 per cent lower than a year ago. That was a bigger retrenchment than in any of the other markets it covers, including the US, France, Germany, Canada and Australia.
According to Indeed, the current decline in hiring has been deeper and more prolonged in tech, software development and information design, a trend that is likely to hurt Stem-focused recruiters such as SThree.
