Northern Recruitment, the call centre and public sector recruitment firm, is set to expand out of its Tyneside heartland.

The firm received a major boost after announcing strong half-year results and claims it will now look to find work in other regions.

The London Stock Exchange-listed firm’s office network now extends into Humberside and it has already won some national contracts.

Its public sector business has recently won contracts with local authorities and emergency services in Yorkshire.

And the company’s City division is set to relocate to Glasgow. The firm already has a strong presence north of the border.

Northern Recruitment announced pre-tax profits of £1m for the six months ended in December 2003, an increase on the £600,000 recorded in the same period in 2002.

Chief executive Lorna Moran added that better was to come: “Our fundamental strengths give us a confidence in our ability to deliver further solid progress in the second half and a positive result for the year as a whole.”

Trading highlights included the firm’s investment in a public sector recruitment offering, which has enjoyed demand for senior and high volume placements. Finance, IT, HR and senior executive selection teams also handled an increased number of senior appointments.

And demand for call centre staff remained robust, with Barclays joining more established customers including Northern Rock and Sitel. A tighter labour market has also resulted in more clients turning to permanent recruitment.