Foreign recruiters could be set to expand into the UK, according to David Roust, head of recruitment industry team at Barclays Corporate.

Barclays Corporate’s ‘Business in 2021’ research reveals British businesses expect foreign ownership of UK firms to increase, but also anticipates steady growth, an increase in real GDP and an improved business landscape over the next decade.

Roust told Recruiter: “If you look at the activity of UK recruitment businesses over the past few years, especially at the top end, they have expanded geographically into areas where there is a market for their services.

“You are going to see that reverse. The UK is a mature market for this sector. There are businesses here that are well established and have a good international footprint. You can see those companies being targeted by foreign companies who are looking to expand into areas where they don’t have a presence and use those acquisitions as a base for expanding their business model and geographies.”