The Latest Breaking News from Hays

The global recruiter said permanent hiring was still a challenge, with it taking longer to get people into roles.

Recruitment sector conditions remain tough after Hays today reported another big drop in net fees.

British workforce rebels against traditional 9-to-5 schedules with 1,450% surge in work absence searches, whilst TfL strikes demand 32-hour weeks and companies report massive benefits from flexible working.

UK public sector borrowing was also better than expected last month, although the data is unlikely to end talk of tax rises in the autumn budget.

The company, which is one of Europe’s biggest recruitment agencies, said conditions in the jobs market remained ‘challenging’.

Female respondents were more likely to report the positive effects of a hybrid working model

Exclusive: More than a third of employees surveyed say stories about firms hardening stance have had impact

The FTSE 100 index closed down 51.67 points, 0.6%, at 8,791.80.

Shares fall by as much as 20% at one point to lowest level in 13 years before easing back to more than 10% down