The Irish recruitment company said revenues had increased by 12% to €256.7m (£223.4m) and included a full six months’ trading contribution by recent UK acquisition, RIG Healthcare Group.

Gross profit increased by 12% against the same period last year to €40.5m. The group’s profit before tax was €9m for the six months to 31 December 2017, an 11% increase on the same period last year.

Chairman John Hennessy says: “The proportion of our net fee income that is made up of temporary fees has increased from 63% in the same period last year to 68%, driven primarily by RIG’s revenue mix but also by organic growth across our sectors. 

“This shift in our business model is reflective of a global move toward the ‘gig economy’ and greater flexibility for client and candidate alike. We also improved the margin on our temporary business to 11.3% (2016: 10.6%).

“We have invested significantly in our technology platform over the past few years and are delighted to be pioneering one of the first artificial intelligence tools in the recruitment sector. Cpl is committed to staying at the forefront of AI and machine learning technology in order to make the recruitment process faster and more efficient for the benefit of our candidates and clients.”

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