It is hard to know how much to read into the much better than expected first-quarter results from Robert Walters, the headhunter. We will know more today when the rival Page Group reports and tomorrow when Hays, the biggest of the quoted UK search groups, follows. The sector is widely followed to see the willingness of employers to take on staff and acts as an indicator of economic performance.
Jefferies, the broker, this week published a note ahead of the reporting season that suggested some uptick in job adverts in April after a subdued picture in February and March in the UK, and a further recovery in Australia after the downturn caused by earlier weakness in natural resources. There are also anecdotal reports of