Companies: CPS    HTP    IMP   

After several false dawns, Square Mile analysts feel the economic cycle is at last benefiting recruiters. Although the market has yet to recapture the magic of August 2000, when recruiters bathed in glory, it has certainly emerged from the downturn of mid-2001 to mid-2003.

Recent emphatic numbers from a swathe of players seem to confirm this trend. Imprint Search & Selection romped home with storming half-time numbers to June, marked out by a 221 per cent jump in profits to £545,000. Ireland's only quoted recruiter, CPL Resources, reported an excellent year to June with profits boosted 49 per cent to C2.6 million. Run by husband and wife team Anne Heraty and Paul Carroll, CPL has thrived by diversification into a broad spread of sectors. And the market had to take its hat off to advertising and communications industry head-hunter Hat Pin, which delivered pleasing interims with profits doubling to £306,000.