UK's Robert Walters scraps 2025 dividend after swinging to annual loss (updated)
11/03/2026 07:25
Adds context and details from paragraph 2 March 11 (Reuters) - Robert Walters RWA.L scrapped its final dividend for 2025 on Wednesday, becoming the latest British recruiter to cut shareholder payouts in a weak jobs market, after swinging to an annual pretax loss. Weak business confidence has slowed new appointments in the UK and Europe, forcing several British hiring firms to cut dividends and curb costs, while AI-related fears over white-collar roles have further dampened sentiment. Trading in the first two months of 2026 has been in line with the board's expectations, although conditions in northern Europe remain comparatively more muted, the company said. Robert Walters posted an annual pretax loss of 19.6 million pounds ($26.4 million), compared with a profit of 0.5 million pounds a year ago. ($1 = 0.7438 pounds) (Reporting by Nithyashree R B in Bengaluru; Editing by Sumana Nandy) ((NithyashreeRB@thomsonreuters.com;))