PageGroup Q4 pressured by weak hiring trends in EMEA, shares slide

Pagegroup

13/01/2026 13:40

** Shares of British recruiter PageGroup PAGE.L fall as much as 5% to 212.2p, their lowest levels since 2016

** PAGE posts 8.9% decline in Q4 gross profit in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, with a 17% decline in France, its largest market

** "The market remains tough, with clients continuing to delay hiring decisions and candidates remaining cautious about accepting offers," co says

** However, co reports smaller-than-expected 4.6% decline in total gross profit for Q4 at constant currency, as China returned to growth

** We continue to see risk to FY26 expectations, and dividend risks - Jefferies

** Four of 10 analysts covering the stock rate it "buy" or higher, four "hold" and two "sell"; median PT is 237.5p - LSEG data

** In 2025, shares of PageGroup fell 31.5%

 (Reporting by Neeshita Beura in Bengaluru)

 ((Neeshita.Beura@thomsonreuters.com))