Financial recruiter Michael Page International said gross profit for the fourth quarter of 2006 was  £93m, up 32.4% on the same period last year.

Full year gross profit is estimated at a record £348.7m, an increase of 30.3%. The company’s year-end headcount was 3,758, up 28% over the year. It opened offices in five countries.

Chief executive Steve Ingham said: "2006 was a very successful year for the Group with all regions contributing to our record results and a particularly strong performance from Europe. I am pleased with the successful acceleration of our investment spend in 2006 in order to capture a number of growth opportunities, all the time following the proven Michael Page model of expanding organically with experienced senior managers. With this investment, we expect to continue to deliver good growth in 2007 and beyond."