The latter half of September proved almost as busy as the first, as far as recruiters’ financial results were concerned.

The following six companies were among those reporting. The market reaction was generally positive. Firstly, three IT specialists:

Parity saw revenue rise to £73m from £67.3m. The pre-tax loss narrowed to £1.3m from £2m. It resources division, which includes recruitment, accounted for £53.7m, up from £44.5m. It made a profit, while the training business made a loss. Chairman John Hughes said the market and outlook for its resources business remained good, especially for more senior roles. However, he added: “We continue to see price pressure in the commercial sector, despite some skill shortages.” He also said he expected continued revenue growth in the second half, “with an increased focus on margin improvement which should start to show benefits in 2007”. Net debt fell to £4.8m, from £19.1m at year-end, after the group’s sale of new shares in April. Networkers International reported increased turnover, following the reverse acquisition of Streetnames earlier this year. The results represent those of Networkers International for the seven months to 30 June, plus those of Streetnames from 24 May to 30 June. Turnover rose to 22m, from 15m. Pre-tax profit rose to 1.7m, from 1.3m. InterQuest saw first-half profit and sales rise, thanks partly to acquisitions. Sales rose £22.5m, up 79% on a year earlier. Pre-tax profit rose 47% to £807,000. On 1 January, InterQuest had 362 contractors working for clients. This rose to 713 by the end of June, with organic growth accounting for 20% of the increase. The figure has subsequently risen to 760. The firm said margins were benefiting from the impact of wage inflation. Healthcare Locums saw turnover rise to £30.4m for the first half of the year, from £18.4m a year earlier. Pre-tax profit for the period was £19,000, compared with a loss of £1.19m for the same period a year ago. The company bought Medical Professionals, Social Work Professionals and BBL Medical during the period. Kate Bleasdale, chief executive, said it had “been a period of intense activity marked by contract wins in excess of £35m.” She told Recruiter the acquisitions had “integrated well”. More than 200 of the company’s headcount of around 240 are now based in Loughton, Essex. Empresaria saw turnover rise to £33.9m, from £24.5m. Pre-tax profit rose to £606,000, from £508,000. Tony Martin, chairman, said: “Our strong growth through the first half has positioned us well for a positive second half, when we traditionally make the majority of our profit.” The company said its UK operations “enjoyed strong organic growth” and contribution from the financial services and property services and construction sectors. It has also announced the acquisition of Midlands-based EUResource, which specialises in recruiting from Eastern Europe. Work Group reported pre-tax profit of £767,000 for the first half of the year, compared with £327,000 for the same period a year earlier. Chairman Simon Howard said: “Last year’s acquisition of Armstrong Craven has proved a particular success and has materially strengthened our ‘direct resourcing’ positioning within the recruitment services market.”