Last year a record 1,510 new directors were appointed to the UK’s leading 1,500 recruitment companies, according to a survey by industry analysts Plimsoll Publishing.

The research found that the average director in the UK recruitment agencies market is called John, is 49 years old and earns £103,717 per year, up from £98,002 last year. The youngest director on the board of a recruitment agencies company is aged just 20, while the oldest is clocking in at an impressive 86.

David Pattison, senior analyst on the project, says: "What we are seeing is a core band of owner-directors, who are diminishing year-on-year as they sell up or retire. They are being replaced by a new wave of management who are free to move when the mood takes them. There is a strong argument that business behaviour is heavily influenced by this style of management, as the emphasis switches from security, financial prudence and long-term vision, to quick fix solutions."

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