New research by Eurociett, the European Confederation of Private Employment Services, has revealed a mixed picture of the health of the recruitment agency market across Europe.

The March 2016 Agency Business Indicator showed that year-on-year turnover rose in six of the seven markets covered, the exception being Norway where it fell by 10.5%. Poland and Sweden recorded particularly strong growth, with turnover up by 22% and 17%, respectively.

Based on data from Eurociett members in 12 countries, but excluding the UK for which no such data is available, the number of hours worked by agency workers rose by an average of 5.6% compared to the previous month’s year-on-year figure. 

However, this average hid significant variations between countries. While Finland, Poland, the Netherlands and France all recorded year-on-year growth of more than 8.8%, in Norway and Switzerland, the growth in hours worked by agency workers declined by 12.3% and 5%, respectively.