Headhunter and IT recruiter Harvey Nash added to the upbeat message coming from the recruitment industry by predicting strong first half results.

Before entering its closed period before announcing the figures, the listed firm released a statement to the stock exchange claiming business was strong in the first half.

The company had announced at its AGM at the end of June that business in the first quarter was better than expected.

“The board can confirm that this has continued into the second quarter and believes that the result for the first half will re-enforce its expectations for the year as a whole,” the statement said.