Group net fee income (NFI) at professional recruiter Robert Walters was up 4% when expressed at constant currency to £92.4m in the first six months of 2012, compared to the same period last year.

This was achieved “against a backdrop of deteriorating market conditions, particularly during the second quarter”, the company’s financial statement said.

Last month, Robert Walters reported a substantial slowdown in its Asia-Pacific operations. Representing half of the group’s business, this was a major factor in Q2 NFI dropping, and over the half as a whole it remained level when expressed at constant currency.

Recruiters Hudson and Heidrick & Struggles also were hit by difficulties in their Asia-Pacific region, as recruiter.co.uk reported yesterday. Meanwhile, Hays saw no growth in the region over Q2, but at Michael Page International it was the standout performer over the first six months of the year.

Back at Robert Walters, its operations in the UK (26% of group NFI) saw 5% growth to £23.9m, and Europe (22% of the total) was up 8% at constant currency, reaching £19.9m.

The smaller Americas and South Africa division saw NFI rise 16% at constant currency to £2.9m.